LESSON3: WEATHER SYSTEMS

Movement of Air: 

1. When air gets warm, it rises

2. The cooler air will replace the warm air

Weather

• Condition of the atmosphere in an area at a specific time.

Climate

• Set of weather conditions for a long period in a region.

• The climate of the Philippines is tropical and maritime.

Weather Conditions:

1. Cyclone

• Water vapor from seas provides cyclones with energy. 

• Large and violent whirlwinds. 

Hurricanes: Eastern Pacific

Cyclones: South-Western Pacific

Typhoons: North-Western Pacific

• Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR)

• Once a Tropical Cyclone enters or forms inside, PAGASA will be issuing its local name in parallel with its international name. 

• Cyclones inside PAR may just enter, but not landfall because it is still FAR from the landmass.

• PAGASA is the unit that monitors the weather systems in our PAR.

Levels of Cyclone:

1. Tropical Depression: up to 61 km/h

2. Tropical Storm: 62-88 km/h

3. Severe Tropical Storm: 89-117 km/h

4. Typhoon: 118-220 km/h

5. Super Typhoon: 220 km/h above 

2. Breezee 

• Winds that blow onto the shore from the sea during daytime and away from the shore during night time.

• Sea Breezes (Day Time)

• Land heats up faster than water during the day because of the sun.

• Land Breezes (Night Time)

• Land cools faster than water during the night.

3. Monsoon

• A breeze on a larger scale is a monsoon.

• Hanging Amihan (Northeast Monsoon)

• Northeast monsoon brings cold dry air in October to February.

• Hanging Habagat (Southwest Monsoon)

• Southwest monsoon causes storms and hot moist air from May to September.

4. Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

• Group of clouds which bring weak to moderate rains and few thunderstorms.

• Forms due to the clashing winds coming from the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.

• ITCZ is responsible for the wet and dry seasons in countries near the equator.

5. El Niño and La Niña

• El Niño is the unusual and periodic warming of the sea surface.

• La Niña is the cold temperature of the oceans and seas around the equatorial region.

6. Tornado 

• Narrow and funnel-shaped spirals of wind which rotate rapidly.

• Fujita Scale

• Categorizes tornadoes as weak, strong, and violent.

• The bases for the scale are wind speed and the degree of destruction.

Fujita Scale:

      EF-0. Weak (Minor Damage) = 65-85 mph

      EF-1. Moderate (Roof Damage) = 86-110 mph

      EF-2. Intense (Homes Damaged) = 111-135 mph

      EF-3. Severe (Buildings Lost) = 136-165 mph

      EF-4. Devastating (Trains Toppled) = 166-200 mph

     EF-5. Catastrophic (Towns Destroyed) = >200 mph