Hydrometeorological hazards Prevents severe environmental imbalances

Processes which involve the interaction of the 50% of the average annual rainfall is from typhoon-
atmosphere, bodies of water, and land and pose a threat related rainfall
to lives and human properties Flora and fauna relies on tropical cyclones
Rainfall replenishes ground water and surficial water
Typhoons: intense tropical cyclone It would be too hot for life to thrive if not for the
Severe weather disturbance characterized by strong redistribution of heat
winds and heavy rains which revolve around the central
low pressure area Hydro meteorological Hazards
Most powerful type of tropical cyclone in the Formation of Tropical cyclone
northwestern Pacific Ocean Forms in northern and southern hemisphere at
latitudes 5 to 30 degrees away from equator
Major Types of Tropical Cyclone Water temperature is at least 26 degrees Celsius to a
Tropical depression depth of more than 60 meters
wind speed up to 62kph
Tropical storm Towards the end of summer warm moist air forms the
wind speed from 63-118kph most.
Typhoon Air masses heats up and rises causes atmospheric
wind speed greater than 118kph pressure to drop
Super typhoon Air masses from the surrounding higher pressure
wind speed exceeding 220kph areas then tend to flow to this area of low pressure and
also heat up and rise
Seasonal variability of Tropical cyclone activity Due to the Coriolis Effect, instead of traveling in a
 Lowest in May straight manner, wind swirls around the central low
 Increases greatly from July until September pressure area.
Rising humid air accumulates at cooler higher
Tropical cyclone structure altitudes to form cumulonimbus clouds
Eye These also get dragged by the force of the incoming
Area of the lowest atmospheric pressure. Its rotating air masses and form long swirling cloud bands.
diameter is 20-65km wide with weak winds, warm Rising humid air accumulates at cooler higher
temperature and clear skies. It looks calm and it is short- altitudes to form cumulonimbus clouds
lived Vapor that form the clouds condense and causes
heavy rainfalls
Eye wall Drier air from higher altitudes is sucked into the center
Region surrounding the center which can reach of the tropical cyclone preventing the formation of clouds,
as high as 15 km above sea level. It brings the strongest and, therefore, rainfall
winds, heavy rains, and turbulence after passage of the Cyclone continuously grows in diameter, ranging from
eye. 150-500 kilometers, and height, ranging from 15-20
kilometers.
But when the tropical cyclone reaches land, it is cut-
Rain bands off from it’s source of energy
Spiraling strips of clouds in the fingers of tropical
cyclones associated with rainfall. Effects of Tropical Cyclone
Strong winds
Causes the most obvious damage
Coriolis Effect Storm surge
Deflection of an object’s motion due to earth’s rotation Unusual increase of sea water level due to intense
about its axis winds and lowered atmospheric pressure
Heavy rains
Winds of tropical cyclone Occur in tropical cyclone of lower intensity. It can be
Counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and beneficial for it can fulfill the water needs of some areas
clockwise in the southern hemisphere Mitigating destructive effects of typhoon
Determine areas prone to typhoon-related disasters
Tropical cyclones Typhoon paths
Result of atmosphere’s natural tendency to maintain Routes that are more or less consistently
equilibrium by redistributing heat through wind from traversed by typhoons
equatorial regions to Polar Regions Geohazard maps
This mechanism prevents tropical areas from getting Determines areas prone to landslides and
excessively hot and Polar Regions from getting extremely flooding
cold Implementing legislation involving land use planning,
zoning, and building standards
Importance of Tropical Cyclone Highly risky areas
 Shouldn’t be used for human settlement but for
commercial purposes to lessen if not eliminate the risk
Building permits
Obtained from local government units to ensure
strict abidance to standards
Designation of emergency evacuation
Local government unit buildings, covered multi-
purpose halls, schools, and churches
Weather forecasting and monitoring
Lead time
Effective forecasting and monitoring gives
communities time to prepare secure property and seek
refuge if necessary
RSMC Tokyo-typhoon center of the Japan
meteorological agency
Issues official warnings for the entire western
Pacific Ocean and south china sea region
Also responsible for naming typhoons
PAGASA
Nationwide network for forecasting and observing
tropical cyclones
Maintains its own system of naming tropical cyclones
that enters PAR for people to remember it more easily and
enhance public attention
Effective public typhoon warning signals
PUBLIC STORM WARNING SIGNAL #1
Tropical cyclone wind of 30km/h to 60km/h expected
within the next 36 hours; may bring very light damage
PUBLIC STORM WARNING SIGNAL #2
Tropical cyclone wind of 61km/h to 120km/h expected
within the next 24 hours; may bring very light to moderate
damage
PUBLIC STORM WARNING SIGNAL #3
Tropical cyclone wind of 121km/h to 170km/h
expected within the next 18 hours; may bring moderate to
heavy damage
PUBLIC STORM WARNING SIGNAL #4
Tropical cyclone wind of 171km/h to 220km/h
expected within the next 12 hours; may bring heavy to
very heavy damage
PUBLIC STORM WARNING SIGNAL #5
Tropical cyclone wind of more than 220km/h
expected within the next 12 hours; may bring very heavy
to widespread damage
Storm surge
Rising of the sea as a result of atmospheric pressure
changes and wind associated with a storm
Factors that influence build-up of water level during a
storm surge
Storm intensity
Wind driven
Force exerted on the body of water is proportional
to the source of wind speed
Pressure effect
Influenced by atmospheric pressure
Lower atmospheric pressure refers to higher
storm surge
Size
Larger diameter will form a higher surge
The wind brought about by larger tropical
cyclones push on a larger surface area of the ocean and
affects this area for a longer period of time.
Storm forward speed
Higher velocity will produce a higher surge along
an open coast
Lower velocity is more efficient in producing a
higher and broader storm surge
Angle of approach to coast
Amount of storm surge is affected by angle by
which tropical cyclone hits coastline
When tropical cyclone hits the coast
perpendicularly it will more likely form a higher storm
surge because a larger part of a storm surge mound
comes into contact with the coastline and is allowed to
build up more
Effect of the earth’s rotation
Coriolis Effect
A tendency for ocean currents to be deflected as
a result of the Earth's rotation
Northern hemisphere
Currents are bent to the right
The storm surge will be observed to be largest in
the right-forward position
Southern hemisphere
Currents are bent to the left
The storm surge will be observed to be largest in
the left-forward position
Rainfall effect
Water levels can rise quickly in estuaries because
large volumes of accumulated rainwater from watersheds
in higher elevation areas which are drained by rivers
encounter waters driven by the tropical cyclone from the
open ocean
Geometry of coastal area
Bathymetry
Appearance of the ocean or sea bottom resulting
from the variation of depth in different portions
Height of the storm surge which reaches the
shore is affected by the bathymetry
Lower surges with higher and stronger waves are
formed when the tropical cyclones hits the shoreline
bordered by narrow shelf separated from the open sea by
a steep slope.
Higher Strom surges with smaller waves are
formed when TC hits a shoreline bordered by a wide shelf
separated from the open sea by a gentle slope.
Storm surge build up is promoted because return
flow of water hitting the shore is impeded by the friction
created by the gently-sloping underwater surface
Geometry
Wide, low lying areas with elevation of only a few
meters above sea level are vulnerable to storm surges.
Shape of coastline
Storm surge is higher when a tropical cyclone hits
a concave coastline
 Funneling effect- the entrapment in a smaller
accommodation space of water being dumped by the
strong winds.
Man-made and natural local features
Found within the coastal area that may affect the
flow of water and the behavior of the storm surge.
Sea walls, breakwaters, mangroves, coral reefs,
onshore vegetation, sand dunes, and berms, to some
extent, may weaken the storm surge.
Timing
When the formation of a storm surge during a
tropical cyclone coincides with a high astronomical
When the surge approaches the coast near the
time of the tropical cyclone's maximum winds speed, the
surge tends to have a greater inland reach.
Storm surge risk-reduction measures
 Storm surge prediction, hazard map
preparation and zoning
 Construction of storm surge barriers
 Wetland protection
THUNDERSTORM
Violent, transparent type of weather disturbance
associated with thousands of meters tall cumulonimbus
clouds and which usually involves lightning and thunder,
strong winds, intense rainfall, and occasionally tornadoes
and hail
REQUIREMENTS FOR THUNDERDSTORM
FORMATION
Moisture must be readily available in the lower
atmosphere to produce clouds and precipitation during
storm formation
Unstable, rapidly rising mass of warm air
Strong upward current of air (updraft) to force
moisture to higher, colder levels of the atmosphere.
THUNDERSTORM LIFECYCLE
Developing or Cumulus Stage
Upward growth of a cumulus cloud due to the
continuous updraft and supply of moisture
Latent heat (heat given off) from the
condensation of moisture warms the surrounding air and
promotes the further rising of air and moisture
Cumulus cloud grows further with domes and
towers and transforms into a mushroom-shaped
cumulonimbus cloud
MATURE STAGE
Initiation of strong downward current of air
(downdraft) and by precipitation
Thunderstorm keeps on growing until it reaches
the tropopause which separates the troposphere from the
stratosphere
Updrafts continue to create cloud sideways to
form an anvil-like formation
Produces heavy rain, frequent lightning and
thunder, tropical cyclones and occasionally hail
Final or Dissipating Stage
Updrafts are prevented by the cool air of the
dominant downdrafts in the lower portions of the cloud
Because of the diminishing supply of moisture
supposedly brought by updrafts, the thunderstorm
weakens, rainfall decreases, and the clouds dissipate
Hazards of Thunderstorms
Lightning
Abrupt, natural, visible high-voltage electrical
discharge
Positive and negative charges join within a cloud,
between clouds, or between a cloud and the ground
Lightning strike
Lightning hits an object on the ground
Cloud-to-ground lightning
Most dangerous type of lightning
Cloud-to-ground lightning
Involves negative charge from the cloud coming
into contact with the positive charge on the ground below
Effects of lightning on infrastructure and technology
Acid rain
Can cause deterioration of buildings
Infrastructures
Acid rain can cause deterioration of buildings.
May also cause fires when it hits wood or any
other flammable building materials of structures like
houses
May also cause fires when it hits wood or any
other flammable building materials of structures like
houses
Technology
Power surges which may flow through the
electricity outlets, phone jacks, or coaxial cables and can
damage various delicate electronic appliances
Effects of Lightning Strike to the Environment
Trees and forest fires
Lightning strike that hits forests with a lot of
readily available flammable material (organic litter) during
a thunderstorm with a little precipitation is a perfect recipe
for the occurrence of wildfires.
Trees are tall conductors containing a lot of water
and ions. Trees with a lot sap. (Poor conductors).
ACID RAIN
The acid rain may increase the acidity of the soil
and aquatic environments which may result in death of
organisms that dwell in terrestrial and aquatic
environments.
HAIL
Hail is a type of solid precipitation
Hailstone is the individual piece of layered,
rounded or irregularly-shaped ice which is occasionally
produce during a thunderstorm. When a thunderstorm
produces hail produces hailstorm
FACTORS FAVORING HAIL
Lower temperature
 Stronger updrafts caused by horizontal winds that
tend to be forced upward upon hitting mountains (an
effect called orographic lifting)
Shorter distance between the clouds and the high
grounds which delays melting of hailstone.
TORNADOES AND WATER SPROUTS
Tornadoes
Are narrow, funnel-or cylindrical-shaped and
intensely-rotating columns of wind that form during
powerful thunderstorms and extend from the base of a
cumulonimbus cloud down to Earth's surface.
Water Sprouts
Are basically the same as tornadoes, the only
difference is that the rotating column of wind moves over
a body of water.
FLASH FLOOD
Large amount of precipitation over a very limited
areal extent.
Occurs especially when rain falls on low-lying
area where there is low infiltration (soil in the area is
already saturated, inherently impermeable, or is covered
with impermeable material like concrete) and where
natural and man-made drainage channels may not have
enough capacity to allow large amounts of run-off to flow
out of the area with ease (ideally at a rate faster than the
downpour of water
. Destructive Effects of Flooding
FLOODING
The abnormal rise of water level in rivers, coastal
areas, plains, and in highly urbanized centers which may
be a result of natural phenomena, human activities, or
both.
Primary Flood Types and Causes
Riverine
Level of water flowing through rivers increases
and goes beyond the average water level or worse,
further encroaches levees.
Rate of increase of water level is dependent on
the river type and source of additional water input.
Primary Flood Types and Causes
Extreme and sustained rainfall
one cause of riverine flooding.
Low pressure areas, intertropical convergence
zones (ITCZ), monsoons, tropical cyclones, and cold
fronts bring with them great amounts of rain that can
potentially cause flooding
Estuarine and Coastal
Seawater encroaches low-lying land that is
usually still above sea level.
Storm Surge
Unusually high tides
Spring Tides
Happen when the sun, the earth, and the moon
are aligned during new moon and full moon and cause
water to bulge in the direction of the alignment. Spring
tides can cause coastal areas in the direction of the
alignment of the sun and moon to experience extremely
high tides and other coastal areas to experience extreme
low tides.
Primary Flood Types and Causes
Neap Tides
Occur during quarter moons, do not cause
extreme tides because the gravitational pull of the moon
and the sun are perpendicular to each other and cancel
each other out.
Urban Flooding
Usually flooding occurs in highly populated,
developed areas set relatively low-lying areas like valleys
and plains
1) Saturation of the ground due too much rainfall and
2) The presence of large areas of impermeable surfaces
like concrete pavements and rooftops.
Catastrophic Flooding
May result from ground failure and/or major
infrastructure failure.
Ground failure is the weakening of the rock or soil
such as subsidence, liquefaction, and occurrence of
landslides that may be triggered by earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, intense rainfall, and other natural disasters
Flash Floods
A rapid short-lived, and violent arrival of large volume of
water which can be caused by intense localized rainfall on
land that is saturated or unable to absorb water
Primary Effects
Result from direct interaction of humans and their
property with flood waters. Primary effects of flooding
include loss of live and damage to amenities and loss of
access to basic necessities.
Secondary Effects
The short-term, immediate, but indirect
consequences of flooding. These may include power loss:
domestic and portable water loss or shortage; risk of
acquiring waterborne diseases, usually due to mixing of
human sewage with flood waters, difficulty of mobilization
due to damage to transportation facilities; and food
shortage.
Tertiary Effects
The long-term indirect consequences of flooding.
Economic hardships at the local and national levels and
unemployment may result from destruction of production-
and services-based business decline in tourism in the
affected areas and additional government expenditures
on rehabilitation of public infrastructure. Flooding may
also significantly affect the wildlife habitat in rural areas.
However, during El Ñino the easterly trade winds
that push the water to the west become weaker and the
accumulated warm waters in the west tend to get drawn
back to the east. Also, less cold water gets upwelled in
the east. The water in the eastern Pacific, as a result,
becomes warmer than usual.
The warmer ocean makes the easterly trade
winds weaker and as a consequence it makes the ocean
get even warmer. This process keeps on going and
causes the El Ñino to intensify. This loop of events,
wherein the output of a system results in the
intensification of the input, is called positive feedback.
Effects of an El Nino
The weak easterly trade winds allow warm water (and
consequently rainfall areas) to accumulate in the eastern
Pacific. This results in enhanced rainfall in the eastern
Pacific and reduced rainfall in the western Pacific.
In the Philippines(western Pacific), an El Niño can
bring about dry spells or droughts, weaker monsoon
activity, delayed beginning and premature end of the rainy
season, and suppressed tropical cyclone activity--
meaning weaker and fewer tropical cyclones passing by
the Philippine Area of Responsibility(PAR) and unusually
farther tropical cyclone tracks.
An area that has been receiving below normal
amount of rainfall or a period of three months is
considered under a dry spell, while an area receiving
below normal amount of rainfall for a period of five months
is already experiencing a drought.
Effects on domestic water supply, irrigation, and
electricity generation
The persistent low amount of rainfall over rain basins
causes drastic lowering of water levels in reservoirs.
Agricultural Effects
Because of the drastic reduction in irrigation
water supply, farmlands yielding staple food crops (e.g.,
rice, corn, etc.) sustain great losses in harvest.
Effects on marine ecosystem, capture fishery, and
aquaculture
Massive coral bleaching may, but not always,
result from elevated sea surface temperatures. When
coral reefs get destroyed so does the biodiversity it hosts.
LAND DEGRADATION
Land is very vulnerable to degradation in times of
dry spells or drought caused by an El Ñino.
WATER QUALITY DETERIORATION
Water quality is inevitably affected in one way or
another during an El Ñino. An example of a larger-scale
impact in water quality in the Philippines is salt water
intrusion in coastal communities.
FOREST WILDFIRES
During El Ñino, where a significant amount of
vegetation has dried out, forests in the Philippines
become more prone to wildfires. Where forests lose their
canopies to logging, a significant amount of moisture is
lost and dried out vegetation.
LAND SUBSIDENCE
Long-term drought can have even more extreme
environmental effects. This caused the sedimentary rocks
layers to become more compacted and cause lowering in
land.
DIRECT ECONOMIC AND SOCIETAL EFFECTS
Significant decline in productivity of the
agricultural sector affects the business dependent on it.
At the very least, food supply shortage and price hikes
may occur, but in extreme cases, even
LA NINA
Spanish for “the girl”
Exact opposite of El Nino
It involves prolonged unusual cooling (of at least -0.5
degrees) of sea surface temperatures in central and
eastern equatorial Pacific that may last for 1-3 years.
CAUSE OF LA NINA
by the strengthening of the easterly trade winds
which blow more warm water toward the west and allows
the upwelling of cold water in the east ( near west coast
of South America).
EFFECTS OF LA NINA
In the Philippines, La Nina causes near normal to
above rainfall conditions, particularly over the eastern
sector of the country.
There is also an observed increase in the number
of tropical cyclones that enter the Philippine Area of
Responsibility (PAR) as tropical cyclone formation shift
toward the eastern Pacific Ocean.
HEALTH PROBLEMS
Diseases due to flood contaminated water
such as acute gastroenteritis, cholera, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever.
Leptospirosis, which is related to striding in
flooded areas contaminated by urine of infected animals,
like rats.
Dengue and Malaria, due to proliferation of
mosquitoes.
Injuries and accidents like contusions,
lacerations, fractures( usually because of flying objects
due to strong winds).
Electrocution by livewires submerged in flood
waters.
SOUTHERN OSCILLATION
A term gave by SIR GILBERT WALKER as he
observed the see-saw shift in atmospheric pressure
between eastern and western tropical Pacific that
accompanies both El Nino and La Nina episodes in the
ocean.
He observed that during periods of reduced
rainfall in the west Pacific, (El Nino), escalation of
pressure in the west was usually accompanied by
lowering of pressure in the Pacific East.
EL NINO OR LA NINA MONITORING IN THE
PHILIPPINES
PAGASA defines and detects El Nino or La Nina
phenomena based on SOI (Southern Oscillation Index)
and SSTA (Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly)
Indicators.
SOUTHERN OSCILLATION INDEX
Calculated using the pressure differences
between Tahiti and Darwin (T-D) indicates whether an El
Nino or La Nina events will take place in the Pacific
Ocean.
An El Nino is described (and detected) by
negative Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) values-
meaning there is below normal pressure in the eastern
tropical Pacific (Pipette, Tahiti) and above normal
pressure in the western tropical Pacific (Darwin,
Australia).
On the other hand, a La Nina is described by
positive Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) values-
meaning there is a bigger pressure gradient between the
east and the west.
PAGASA’S CATEGORIES OF ENSO EVENTS BASED
ON SST ANOMALIES ARE THE FOLLOWING:
A. WEAK EL NINO/ LA NINA- deviation in sea
surface temperature by +0.5 to + 1.0°C for an El
Nino or -0.5 to -1.0 °C for a La Nina.
B. MODERATE EL NINO/ LA NINA- deviation in sea
surface temperature by + 1.0°C to +1.5°C for an
El Nino or -1.0 to -1.5 °C for a La Nina.
C. STRONG EL NINO/ LA NINA- deviation in sea
surface temperature by more than +1.5°C for an
El Nino or less than -1.5 °C for a La Nina.
several categories of ENSO adaptation strategies for the
farming sector.
C. HEALTH PROBLEMS
Certain diseases become widespread either during El
Nino or La Nina.
D. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND
GEOHAZARDS
Issues on marine biodiversity, land degradation,
water quality deterioration, land subsidence and
shortages on electricity generation by hydroelectric water
plants can only be addressed by a community effort in
cooperation with government agencies that have the
technical know- how and facilities.

RECURRENCE OF EL NINO AND EL NINA

El Nino and La Nina occur alternatingly and
usually recur every 3-5 years but can range from 2-7
years.
MARCH- JUNE: El Nino and La Nina usually
developed.
DECEMBER-APRIL: reach its maximum
intensity.
MAY- JULY: eventually weaken.

ENSO- NEUTRAL
ENSO- neutral periods usually occur during the
transition between El Nino and La Nina.
During an ENSO- neutral, sea surface
temperatures (tropical precipitation amount and patterns,
and atmospheric wind patterns in the equatorial Pacific
Ocean) are close to the long-term average conditions.

ENSO EVENT PREPARATION AND ADAPTATION

STRATEGIES
I. MONITORING
Information about the ENSO event is provided by the
National Enso Early Warning and Monitoring System
(NEEWMS) of PAGASA.

II. ADAPTATION STRATEGIES

Focusing on adaptation strategies on issues
concerning on water resources and industries, energy,
agriculture, environment, public health and geohazards.
A. WATER MANAGEMENT
Enforcing stringent water management and conservation
measures should be implemented in coordination with the
NEEWMS of PAGASA, the National Water Resources
Board (NWRB), the National Irrigation Administration
(NIA), and the National Power Corporation (NPC) in
anticipation of possible water shortages during El Nino.
B. AGRICULTURAL SECTOR: FARMING
Utilization of technology, implementation of policies,
and observation of appropriate practices are among