As in most tropical destinations, the year in the Philippines is divided into two seasons: wet and dry. Summer is the rainy season, known as the hagabat, meaning southwest monsoon, and lasts roughly from May to November. The rains typically start in June, intensify from July to September and slowly decrease through the month of October. Expect tropical rain showers every day if traveling in the months of July, August and September. Precipitation rates vary, though, and heavy rains sometimes occur early or late in the summer rainy season.
Summer in the Philippines is extremely hot. Temperatures in the lowlands reach, and may exceed, 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the month of May and stay around 90 degrees for the rest of the summer. The June rains lower temperatures slightly, but high humidity can make the temperature feel even hotter. These months can be a difficult time to be in crowded cities like Manila, but beach breezes make the climate tolerable -- even enjoyable -- for travelers on the coast. Mountainous areas like north Luzon also tend to be less humid and cooler, although still tropical.
With so many islands making up the country, a few micro-climates are worth mentioning. Much of the eastern seaboard, including the eastern sections of islands like Mindanao, Leyte, Samar and Luzon, experiences its dry season in the summer months. It rains in these areas from December to March, when the rest of the country is dry. The sheltered islands of the central Visayas -- including beach destination like Bohol, Negros and Cebu -- have less pronounced seasons and experience light rains year-round.
Typhoon season in the Philippines runs from June to November. The islands of Luzon and the Visayas are often the hardest hit, although the storms affect most of the country. Typhoons can also cause significant increases in rainfall during the already rainy summer months, even when they pass far off-shore. Unlike hurricanes, typhoons are harder to predict in advance and often strike without warning. You may have to be flexible with your vacation itinerary if you are traveling during the typhoon season as storms and heavy rains may close airports and tourist facilities.
