QUEZON CITY (Jan. 6, 2026) — Storms that hit the northern part of the Philippines tend to be stronger but slower moving while southern storms tend to be faster and accelerate more rapidly, meteorologists from the University of the Philippines identified in a recent study — highlighting the urgent need for better disaster preparedness in the country.
According to Drs. Bernard Alan Racoma and Gerry Bagtasa of the UP Diliman College of Science’s Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, fast-moving and rapidly accelerating storms in the Visayas and Mindanao give communities limited time
for preparations, whereas the stronger yet slower-moving storms affecting Luzon heighten the risk of prolonged flooding and landslides.
Racoma and Bagtasa examined patterns from 372 landfalling tropical cyclones from 1979 to 2024 in their study “Characteristics and Near-Landfall Behavior of Tropical Cyclones Affecting the Philippines (1979–2024),” as they emphasized that understanding both the timing and intensity evolution of storms is key to disaster risk reduction.
Although TCs often stay inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility for several days, the meteorologists found that their direct presence along the Philippine coasts is brief — averaging only 21 hours before moving inland or away. They recommended that communities treat all developing storms seriously and to monitor when TCs enter or form within the PAR.
“Rapid intensification occurs very fast — typically within 24 hours. We don’t yet fully understand it; even weak storms can intensify quickly. We should avoid waiting for a storm to intensify before preparing. Half of TCs that form or enter the PAR make landfall, and usually rapid intensification occurs within this region,” Racoma noted.
“Characteristics and Near-Landfall Behavior of Tropical Cyclones Affecting the Philippines (1979–2024)” was published in Tropical Cyclone Research and Review, a journal focusing on tropical cyclone monitoring, forecasting, research, and their related impacts on disaster risk reduction.
The study was supported by the UPD Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development and the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development. ###
