PAGASA's five-day weather forecast

PAGASA’s five-day weather forecast

By Framelia V. Anonas
Science and Technology Media Service

If you have plans for any outdoor activities in the next five days, better check out the five-day weather forecast of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. The extended forecast could help plan the kind of activities you’d do on any predicted sunny or rainy day in the next five days.

“To help the public and the government in planning activities, we are now issuing up to five-day weather forecast from the usual three days,” PAGASA’s weather branch chief Nathaniel Cruz announced.

The Philippines is the first country in Southeast Asia to adopt the five-day weather forecast. To make its weather forecast friendlier, PAGASA has also started using weather icons in its forecasts to describe weather conditions and patterns more clearly.

Cruz said the enhanced weather monitoring and forecasting service is the outcome of recent equipment upgrade of PAGASA and the use of advanced weather forecasting models. PAGASA officer-in-charge Graciano Yumul Jr. recently relaunched five typhoon tracking radars in Aparri, Virac, Guian, Baguio, and Baler. The Basco radar is likewise due for redeployment.

PAGASA is set to install two sophisticated Doppler radars in Tanay and Subic under a special project funded by the Office of the President. These radars have superior quantitative rainfall detection capabilities that are useful in determining critical rainfall intensities that may cause landslides and floods.

PAGASA’s extended forecasting service will be beneficial in the areas of travel, tourism, and disaster preparedness activities, aside from a whole range of outdoor activities that need weather information in advance.