Hydrometeorological NOTES

Hydrometeorological Hazards
Hydrometeorology is part of the weather we experience anywhere in the world. It involves studying tropical
depressions, super typhoons, droughts, and desertification, among others. It is studying natural phenomena with
atmospheric, hydrological, or oceanographic origins.
Oceanography delves into the dynamics of the ocean's waters as an ecosystem and all the organisms co-
existing in an ocean environment.
Cloud Physics is mainly about the formation, growth, and all the processes occurring within clouds, including
precipitation.
Hydrology is the discipline encompassing the study of water cycle processes, distribution of water in oceans
and watersheds, water quality, and even the sustainability of our water resources. It also deals with energy
affecting water movement and even the lack of water in other areas, and the resulting hydrometeorological
hazards with its impact on people, depending on their level of vulnerability.
Hydrometeorological Weather Systems
The following are the different hydrometeorological weather systems:
 Tropical Cyclone - This is known as bagyo in the Philippines and hurricanes in some other countries.
Our country is located in the typhoon belt that is why we experience an average typhoons during the
rainy season.
 Southwest Monsoon - This is known as habagat in the Philippines. This weather system with moisture-
laden winds and rains affect the Philippines during what is commonly known as the "rainy season,"
beginning around July and ending in October. The Southwest Monsoon comes in the form of heavy
rains, strong winds, and flooding.
 Northwest Monsoon - It is also known as the amihan that lingers in the country from November to
March. It brings in moderate temperature to our shores, and is accompanied by marginally little rainfall.
This monsoon emerges and develops from a weather system with a high barometric pressure in northern
Asia during winter. As it produces little to no rain at all, it brings fewer natural hazards compared to the
Habagat. It covers post-Christmas season, when air is typically colder and the weather generally
undisturbed by storms.
 Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) - This low-pressure area with high humidity forms a band of
clouds across the equator. It results from the interaction and convergence of trade winds, specifically the
northeasterly and southeasterly winds in the northern and southern hemisphere, respectively. It causes
the wet and dry season in the Philippines, marking the beginning of the rainy season as the ITCZ passes
over landmass with clouds leading to heavy rains and the formation of tropical cyclones.
Hydrometeotological Hazard are processes of atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic nature, which cause
the loss of lives, injury or other health impacts, damage to property, loss of livelihood and services, social and
economic disruption, and environmental damage.
Forecasts are very important to provide early warning, which range from one hour before flash floods occur to
seasonal and inter-annual time scales for drought.
Different hydrometeorological hazards:
 Lightning - This occurs during thunderstorms or electrical storms. It is a bolt of electricity often blue-
white in color, caused by its extreme heat.
 Hail- this form of precipitation comes in the form of balls or irregular lumps of ice, which is caused by
thunderclouds. It is different from sleet, which are smaller ice pellets often occurring during winter in
countries with snow, and is caused by the cold weather.
 Tornado - A tornado is a violently rotating funnel-shaped cloud which descends from a thundercloud to
the ground. This hydrometeorological hazard has the highest wind speed generated by the rotating
column of air, which travels unpredictably and may occur over land or water. It can travel at a distance
of around 90 meters to four kilometers, moving on average at the speed of 50 kilometers per hour, or
may stay still in one spot. It can last from the space of several seconds to an hour. The high-speed winds
of the tornado rotate around a calm center, similar to the eye of a storm, and draw in sediments and
debris, making the tornado look darker and more visible to the eye.
 Strong winds - These are brought by tropical cyclones, and can also be experienced at the onset of
tornadoes. Wind speed depends on the strength of the cyclone or tornado. It can be as fast as 486
kilometers per hour.
 Flood - It refers to the large amount of water covering a land area which is often dry. Flooding is the
result of water overflowing from natural bodies of water, such as rivers or lakes, or from man-made
structures, such as dams and reservoirs, due to the high amount of rainfall.
 Flashflood - This generally happens six hours from the onset of its immediate cause. or sudden release
of water from dams can cause flashfloods. This can turn small streams into raging rivers because of the
sudden rush of water from an elevated area moving to natural river channels as the water travels
downstream.
 Storm surge - It refers to the rising waters above normal water level in coastal areas, caused such as
tropical cyclones. A storm surge, caused thunderstorms, is different from tsunamis, which are large
waves caused by an earthquake, or the movement of tectonic plates under water. While a storm surge
refers to the water level excluding the high tide level, a storm tide refers to the height of the storm surge,
combined with the height of the tide.
 Heat wave - In general, a heat wave is the excessively hot and humid weather which occurs in a certain
area over a prolonged period of time. The high temperature in a heat wave is defined as hotter than the
usual temperature in an area.
Signs of Impending Geologic Hazards

Here are the actions to be done during each hydrometeorological hazard:
 During a thunderstorm, follow these safety tips:
- Seek safe shelter. Stay away from corded phones.
- Stay away from windows and doors.
- Avoid anything connected to plumbing, electrical wires, or any metal structure.
- Unplug all electrical equipment before the lightning storm occurs.
 During a tornado and strong winds, follow these safety tips:
- Stay indoors. A basement below the ground is a safe shelter from strong winds.
- Stay out of auditoriums, gymnasiums, and other structures with wide, free-span roofs.
- If there is no time to escape, lie flat in the nearest ditch or ravine.
- When inside a car, do not try to outrun the tornado. Go outside and find a sturdy, concrete structure
as shelter.
 Before flood and storm surge, follow these safety rules:
- Find out and be informed of your community's evacuation plan.
- Know possible emergency centers.
- Prepare a list of emergency contact numbers in case of severe storms and heavy flooding.
- Educate yourself with first aid and other necessary preparedness courses to be more ready when
disaster strikes.
- Clear debris blocking or clogging your gutters and downspouts.

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Signs of Impending Geologic Hazards

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