PAGASA: 2025 storms to be less severe than last year

MANILA, Philippines — There will be 10 to 18 more tropical cyclones visiting the Philippines this year, although they will be “less severe” compared to last year, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

“Last year from October to November, there were six consecutive typhoons and super typhoons within a month. For this year we are not expecting (something) like that,” PAGASA deputy administrator Marcelino Villafuerte II said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City yesterday.

However, he maintained the public cannot be complacent about upcoming tropical cyclones, which could still bring voluminous rainfall and powerful winds and cause massive damage.

He noted PAGASA now has the capacity to predict formation of cyclones in two-week intervals through its tropical cyclone threat potential forecast.

Villafuerte also mentioned that stronger cyclones that hit the Philippines from October to November 2024 were formed during the La Niña phenomenon, wherein “surrounding waters near the Philippines have warmer sea surface temperature that fuels cyclone formation.”

Cyclones Julian, Kristine, Leon, Marce, Pepito, Nika and Ofel, which passed through the country from October to November 2024, caused billions of pesos in damage.

PAGASA declared the end of the La Niña – which brings above-normal rainfall in the country – in April 2025.

Meanwhile, the country may continue to experience cloudy to rainy weather today because of the trough or extension of Tropical Storm Bising (Danas), as well as the southwest monsoon.

Cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms brought by the trough of Bising, will prevail over Batanes and Babuyan Islands, said the agency in its 24-hour public weather forecast issued at 4 p.m. yesterday.

The southwest monsoon enhanced by Bising will also bring occasional rains in Ilocos Region and the provinces of Zambales and Bataan, as well as cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms over the regions of Mindanao, Metro Manila, Cordillera, the rest of Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and Western Visayas.

The same weather system will cause partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms in Bicol and the rest of the Visayas.