Weather in the Philippines
The Philippines has two distinct seasons: dry season (northeast monsoon) which is November to April and wet season (southwest monsoon) which is May to October.
Northeast Monsoon (November-April)
With the northeast monsoon, warm stable and north-easterly winds blow throughout the season. Rainfall occurs mainly on the east coasts, which have rain more than 10 days per month. In general, rainfall days decrease from east to west across the islands, and the west coasts receive less than 4 days of rain per month.
Pacific Ocean typhoons are still a threat in November and December, and act as a possible swell source. This time of the year is the coolest, with a median temperature of 29°C across the islands, and averages of 23°C on the eastern coasts.
Southwest Monsoon (May-October)
Early in the season, the monsoon trough is south of the area, so the trade winds prevail and fair weather occurs. As the monsoon trough moves northwards across the Philippines, unstable weather with showers and thunderstorms hit the archipelago.
Tropical cyclones frequently occur with the peak occurrence in August and September; they generally cross Luzon during July to September. Generally, winds come from the southwest, so swell from a typhoon, combined with offshore winds provide epic swell on Siargao Island, including Cloud 9 surf spot.
‘The southwest monsoon season is considered the rainy season, but only the western part experiences high rainfall. During this season, they experience 15-20 days per month, while the east coast only has 5-10 days.
Temperatures peak in April to June during the southwest monsoon, the temperatures range between 28 and 34°C, with lows of 24°C.
Weather in Luzon
The weather in Luzon is tropical and fairly wet; the driest time in Luzon is February-April, and the wettest period is August-November.
Generally, temperatures are consistently high in Luzon; the average annual temperature in Luzon is 27 °C, with temperatures ranging from a low of 21 to a top of 32°C. The warmest time of the year is around April/May, with an average temperature of 27.5 °C, while the lowest average temperatures occur in January, when it’s around 26.5 °C.
Find out more about surfing in Luzon here.
Weather in Visayas
Generally, the weather in Visayas is tropical like the rest of the country, with January being the coolest month and May- August being the warmest. The temperatures for the Visayas range from 23-32°C.
April is dry while June-December have high rainfall.
Find out more about surfing in Visayas here.
Weather in Mindanao
With an temperature of 28°C throughout the year, the weather in Mindanao is tropical. Temperatures range between 24 and 32°C both inside and outside the water year-round. The hottest period is May – August and the coldest month is January.
The highest rainfall occurs October until January, while generally August is dry.
Find out more about surfing in Mindanao here.