The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Wednesday, June 19, launched a groundbreaking tool that will enhance the communication of weather information to the public.

In conjunction with this year’s Typhoon and Flood Awareness Week, PAGASA unveiled the “chance of rain” forecast as part of its ongoing efforts to improve weather-related services across the country.

PAGASA Weather Specialist Raymond Ordinario said this initiative is part of the PAGASA-Japan International Cooperation Agency technical cooperation project, officially launched in 2020 under the Japan-Philippines Project on Weather Phase 2 (JPOW2), which includes the development of the chance of rain tool.

He explained that the new product provides daily predictions of the percent chance of rainfall in selected key cities throughout the country for the next five days.

“Our chance of rain is basically a numeric value of the likelihood that we will have a rainfall event. So the threshold used by PAGASA is at least 1 millimeter in a day. When we say there's a 70 percent chance of rain, it means there's a seven out of 10 probability that we will have at least one millimeter of rainfall expected within the day; we do not specify the timing, intensity, or duration of the rain,” he explained in Filipino.

Ordinario said the forecast is issued daily at 8 a.m. and made available on the PAGASA website alongside the extended weather outlook.

“Since PAGASA's primary focus is on producing this chance of rain forecast, unfortunately, our website is not currently mobile-friendly. However, we are committed to improving this within the month so that our chance of rain product can be viewed more effectively on mobile phones,” he added.

Additional innovations unveiled

During the event, PAGASA also launched two other innovations aimed at enhancing communication of weather information.

One of these innovations is the new PAGASA Regional Services websites, designed to enhance accessibility and understanding of weather forecasts across different regions.

Ordinario said these websites feature a searchable regional forecast detailing current weather conditions, expected high and low temperatures, and coastal forecasts.

They also provide a comprehensive five-day extended weather outlook, offering predictions for the upcoming week.

The websites also prioritize safety with timely notifications of approaching thunderstorms and detailed guidelines on staying safe during such weather events.

He said that the information will be available not only through traditional channels but also on social media platforms and directly on the PAGASA website.

The weather bureau also introduced the PAGASA National Hydro-Met Observing Network (PANaHON), accessible through the domain Panahon.gov.ph.

Ordinario said this innovative platform offers near-real-time updates of weather data through an interactive map interface.

PANaHON integrates various PAGASA products and data sources, including radar mosaics, satellite images, synoptic observations, automatic weather station readings, and rain gauge reports.

It also provides real-time alerts for lightning activity, tracks the trajectory of typhoons, and offers numerical weather predictions and comprehensive weather outlooks.

The platform also issues vital warnings about impending rainfall, thunderstorms, typhoons, and floods through its typhoon and flood bulletins.

Ordinario explained that the interactive map featured on PANaHON allows users to customize their viewing experience by toggling between multiple layers such as radar, satellite images, and typhoon tracks.

Users can adjust the speed and opacity of these layers for better visualization and understanding of weather patterns and forecasts.