PAGASA's tropical cyclone wind signals (1 to 5) warn of strong winds up to 36 hours ahead, but the deadliest water hazards of a typhoon are storm surge and flooding, which are announced separately: check PAGASA's storm surge and rainfall warnings too, and leave when your local disaster council tells you to. Avoid the sea, rivers and floodwater while a signal or a red rainfall warning is up.
This guide is general information, not a substitute for official advice. Follow PAGASA bulletins and your local government. In an emergency, call 911.
How many typhoons hit the Philippines?
PAGASA says an average of about 20 tropical cyclones enter or form in the Philippine Area of Responsibility each year, and about 8 or 9 of them cross the country. It gives July to October as the peak of the typhoon season, when nearly 70% of typhoons develop (PAGASA, tropical cyclone information page, no year shown on the page, accessed 12 October 2026).
What do PAGASA wind signals 1 to 5 mean?
PAGASA revised its Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) system on 23 March 2022. A signal is raised for a locality when a given wind strength is expected within the stated lead time, which is the time between hoisting the signal and the start of those winds (PAGASA press release 108, 23 March 2022).
| Signal | Wind speed expected | Lead time | What it means for people (PAGASA, summarised) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 39 to 61 km/h | 36 hours | Minimal to minor threat. Light, poorly built structures may be damaged. |
| 2 | 62 to 88 km/h | 24 hours | Minor to moderate threat. Loose objects fly; some local power outages. |
| 3 | 89 to 117 km/h | 18 hours | Moderate to significant threat. Roof damage; many areas lose power. |
| 4 | 118 to 184 km/h | 12 hours | Significant to severe threat. Major damage to poor or average houses; near-total loss of power and telecoms. |
| 5 | 185 km/h or higher | 12 hours | Extreme threat. Severe to catastrophic damage; prolonged loss of utilities. |
Source: PAGASA, Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal page and press release of 23 March 2022. PAGASA's separate FAQ page still shows older wind ranges (for example 30 to 60 km/h for signal 1). This table follows the 2022 press release; check PAGASA's live bulletin for the signal in force.
Two things to remember:
- Signals describe wind, not water. PAGASA's wind signal page does not mention storm surge; PAGASA issues storm surge and rainfall warnings separately.
- Signals are local. Check the signal for your own province or municipality, and for the area you are travelling to.
What is storm surge, and why is it so dangerous?
PAGASA defines storm surge as the abnormal rise in sea level that occurs during tropical cyclones, caused by strong winds and low atmospheric pressure pushing ocean water over low-lying coastal areas (PAGASA, storm surge information).
The worst recent example in the Philippines is Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) put the toll at 6,300 dead, 1,061 missing and 28,689 injured in April 2014, as reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Inquirer's December 2013 coverage said drowning in the storm surge accounted for most of the deaths; that is the newspaper's own statement, not a quoted NDRRMC finding (Inquirer, 15 December 2013). We could not open the NDRRMC final report, and later summaries differ slightly: a 2018 BusinessWorld piece, which attributes its figures to the NDRRMC final report, lists 1,062 missing.
Drowning in disasters is often not counted as drowning in official statistics. A 2016 study found that adding deaths from floods, storms and maritime accidents raised the average annual drowning toll from 2,496 to 4,196 (Martinez, Go and Guevarra, WPSAR, 2016, covering 1980 to 2011). See Drowning in the Philippines: the numbers.
PAGASA's advice for storm surge (PAGASA, storm surge information):
- Follow PAGASA advisories and local TV and radio.
- Identify the fastest route to high ground and learn which sturdy multi-storey buildings are designated evacuation centres.
- Evacuate when your local disaster council or barangay officials tell you to, taking your emergency kit and switching off electricity and gas.
PAGASA also issues storm surge warnings during a cyclone. Its warning levels appear only as an image on the storm surge page, and the bulletins we found (for example, Pepito, November 2024) were image-based, so we could not read them directly. Search-result descriptions of such bulletins give expected surge heights in bands of 1.0 to 2.0 metres, 2.1 to 3.0 metres and above 3.0 metres, with advice that escalates from cancelling marine activities to evacuating. Treat that as second-hand and read the live bulletin for your area.
What do the yellow, orange and red rainfall warnings mean?
PAGASA's Heavy Rainfall Warning System is for long-lasting, widespread rain, usually from tropical cyclones and monsoons. It has three levels:
| Level | Colour | Meaning (PAGASA) | What to do (PAGASA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advisory | Yellow | Flooding is possible in low-lying areas, especially along river channels | Listen to radio or watch the news; monitor water levels in rivers and low-lying areas |
| Alert | Orange | Flooding is alarming; flooding in other areas and possible landslides | Get ready for evacuation with your emergency kit |
| Emergency | Red | Serious flooding is damaging; widespread flooding, more roads not passable, higher chance of landslides | Evacuate to higher ground, away from landslide-prone areas |
Source: PAGASA, Rainfall Warning System flyer ("Payong PAGASA"); no date is shown on the flyer. The flyer does not give rainfall rates. Older news coverage of PAGASA statements reported hourly rates of 7.5 to 15 mm for yellow, 15 to 30 mm for orange and over 30 mm for red (Inquirer, which we could not open directly), but we have not confirmed these are current, so check PAGASA.
Separately, the thunderstorm warning system has three levels: information (small chance of thunderstorms), watch (a thunderstorm is likely within 12 hours) and warning (a thunderstorm is threatening a specific area within 2 hours, with flash floods among the impacts) (PAGASA flyer).
Why are flash floods so dangerous?
Heavy rain, including rain far upstream, can fill rivers and creeks quickly, so water can rise while the sky above you is clear. This is one reason rivers appear so often in Holy Week drowning reports; see Where and how drownings happen.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says drowning accounts for 75% of deaths in flood disasters, and that flood-related drowning risk is highest in lower-income countries where early warning systems and flood mitigation infrastructure are underdeveloped (WHO drowning fact sheet, dated 1 May 2026). The fact sheet does not say which study the 75% figure comes from.
What should you do before, during and after a typhoon?
Before
- Check the wind signal, rainfall warning and any storm surge warning for your area every few hours.
- If you live or are staying in a coastal or low-lying area, plan your route to high ground now (PAGASA).
- Postpone beach, river and island trips when a signal or red warning is forecast. News reports show the Philippine Coast Guard stopping small sea vessels of 250 gross tons and below from sailing when PAGASA gale warnings are up, citing its Memorandum Circular 02-13 (June 2013), "Guidelines on Movement of vessels during heavy weather" (for example, Albay and Sorsogon, January 2021, Inquirer; Bicol, October 2022, PIA). The restrictions are set by local Coast Guard commands and vary, and we could not retrieve the circular's own text, so ask the Coast Guard or your operator what applies.
During
- Avoid the sea and floodwater. The DOH advises avoiding floodwater when possible, and storm surge advisories in PAGASA bulletins call for cancelling marine activities (DOH, as reported by GMA News; PAGASA bulletin wording as described above).
- Evacuate when your local disaster council or barangay officials tell you to (PAGASA); do not wait for the water to rise.
- We did not find an NDRRMC or Office of Civil Defense checklist that covers swimming or riverbank safety, so follow local instructions.
After
- Return only when authorities say it is safe.
- Avoid wading in floodwater when possible. The Department of Health (DOH) says people who have waded through floodwater, even without wounds or symptoms, should go to the nearest health centre for advice because of leptospirosis risk. DOH Undersecretary Gloria Balboa said this, and the DOH logged 5,486 cases from January to 26 August 2026, according to GMA News, 28 August 2026. A Manila Bulletin headline of 19 August 2026 reports the DOH urging checks within 24 to 48 hours; we could not open that article. We found the DOH advice only through news reports, not a DOH page. Whether you need preventive medicine is for a health worker to decide.
Plan for your trip
If you are visiting during the typhoon season, ask your resort or tour operator for their weather policy and check PAGASA on the morning you plan to swim. Read Rip currents and how to escape them for what to do at the beach, and How to prevent drowning for general habits. Back to the Basics & Risks hub.
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Sources
- PAGASA. Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (page undated, accessed 12 October 2026). https://pagasa.dost.gov.ph/learning-tools/tropical-cyclone-wind-signal
- PAGASA (23 March 2022). "DOST-PAGASA modifies Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) system", press release 108. https://pagasa.dost.gov.ph/press-release/108
- PAGASA. Tropical cyclone information (no year shown, accessed 12 October 2026). https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/climate/tropical-cyclone-information
- PAGASA. Storm surge information (no year shown, accessed 12 October 2026). https://pagasa.dost.gov.ph/information/storm-surge
- PAGASA. Storm surge warning No. 2, Tropical Cyclone Pepito (15 November 2024), image-based bulletin. https://pubfiles.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/pagasaweb/files/tamss/weather/stormsurge/02_Warning_TC_PEPITO_2024111506.pdf
- PAGASA. Rainfall Warning System ("Payong PAGASA" flyer, undated). https://pagasa.dost.gov.ph/themes/hiraia//assets/images/publications/Rainfall-Warning-A4-11.7x8.3-Back.jpg
- Philippine Daily Inquirer (April 2014). "'Yolanda' toll now at 6,300 - NDRRMC." https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/595039/yolanda-toll-now-at-6300-ndrrmc/amp (secondary report of NDRRMC figures; NDRRMC report not accessed)
- Philippine Daily Inquirer (15 December 2013). "'Yolanda' death toll: 6,033." https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/546567/yolanda-death-toll-6033/amp (secondary)
- BusinessWorld (8 November 2018), The Nation section, article on Yolanda survivors. https://bworldonline.com/the-nation/2018/11/08/198081/survivors/ (secondary, cites NDRRMC final report)
- Martinez RE, Go JJ, Guevarra J (2016). Epidemiology of drowning deaths in the Philippines, 1980 to 2011. Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal 7(4). https://ojs.wpro.who.int/ojs/index.php/wpsar/article/view/448
- World Health Organization (1 May 2026). Drowning fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drowning
- GMA News (28 August 2026). "DOH: Wading through floodwaters can cause leptospirosis even without wounds." https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1000255/doh-wading-through-floodwaters-can-cause-leptospirosis-even-without-wounds/story/ (news report of DOH remarks)
- Manila Bulletin (19 August 2026). "DOH urges floodwater-exposed people to get checked for leptospirosis within 24 to 48 hours." https://mb.com.ph/2026/08/19/doh-urges-floodwater-exposed-people-to-get-checked-for-leptospirosis-within-24-to-48-hours (headline only; article not opened)
- Philippine Daily Inquirer (January 2021). "PCG bans travel for small sea vessels in Albay, Sorsogon due to bad weather." https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1385485/pcg-bans-travel-for-small-sea-vessels-in-albay-sorsogon-due-to-bad-weather
- Philippine Information Agency (27 October 2022). "PCG issues no-sailing policy, LTO suspends trips to avoid port congestion in Bicol." https://mirror.pia.gov.ph/disaster-information-service/2022/10/27/pcg-issues-no-sailing-policy-lto-suspends-trips-to-avoid-port-congestion-in-bicol (as described in search results; page not opened)
- Philippine Daily Inquirer (date not shown in search result). "Pagasa's color-coded warnings." https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/654913/pagasas-color-coded-warnings/amp (as described in search results; page not opened)
Last reviewed: 12 October 2026.
