Climatology
This page presents Philippines's climate context for the current climatology, 1991-2020, derived from observed, historical data. Information should be used to build a strong understanding of current climate conditions in order to appreciate future climate scenarios and projected change. You can visualize data for the current climatology through spatial variation, the seasonal cycle, or as a time series. Analysis is available for both annual and seasonal data. Data presentation defaults to national-scale aggregation, however sub-national data aggregations can be accessed by clicking within a country, on a sub-national unit. Other historical climatologies can be selected from the Time Period dropdown list.
Observed, historical data is produced by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of University of East Anglia. Data is presented at a 0.5º x 0.5º (50km x 50km) resolution.
The Philippines has a humid equatorial climate characterized by high temperatures and heavy rainfall. Average annual rainfall is approximately 2,348 millimeters (mm), but this varies geographically, from 960 mm in southeast Mindanao to over 4,050 mm in central Luzon. Temperatures are generally high, particularly in the valleys and plains, averaging 27°C throughout the year. Humidity levels are high, averaging around 82% due to the warm moist trade winds that flow through the archipelago, as well as sea surface temperatures, a rich and vibrant vegetative cover and abundant rainfall. Rainfall is governed by the southwest monsoons in the summer months, and by the northeast monsoon and tropical cyclones in the winter. Convective rainfall is common due to the country’s mountainous terrain, interspersed with narrow coastal plains. The Philippines also experiences strong periodic droughts that are linked to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The Philippines’ hottest months are April and May, with the coldest months experienced during December, January and February. The mean annual temperature is 27.1°C, with a relatively low seasonal temperature variation of approximately 3°C. There is minimal spatial variation in temperatures across the country. Where temperature differences do exist, such as in Baguio City where the daily mean temperature is 19.6°C, elevation is significant factor. There is geographical variation in the distribution of precipitation: during June to September heavy rainfall is concentrated to the west of the country, whereas between October and March, heavy rainfall is predominantly found in the country’s eastern regions.