Seasons in the Philippines

Seasons are caused by the 23.5° tilt of the Earth as it revolves around the sun. In tropical countries like the Philippines, seasons are characterized by the amount of rainfall. There are two seasons in the country: the dry season and the wet season. In general, the wet season is from May to October and the dry season is from November to April.

The monsoons affect the country's normal pattern of wet and dry seasons. The eastern areas of the country receive more rainfall from November to February because of the northeast monsoon. The western coastal areas receive more rainfall from June to October because of the southwest monsoon and typhoons.

The trade winds bring rain mostly to places in the eastern part of the country from March to May so they have a very short dry season.

Human activities such as agriculture is largely dependent on the changing seasons of the Philippines. In areas where no irrigation is available, the wet season is important to farmers. Rice, corn, cassava, and other crops are planted during this season. On the other hand, tropical fruits, flowers, and vegetables such as eggplant, tomato, white squash upo, mango, turnip, melon, and watermelon grow best during the dry season.

Fishing and other outdoor activities are more common during the dry season because the amount of rainfall is less.