Weather forecasts from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DoST-PAGASA) are based on data and information collected by the agency’s monitoring stations and automated systems across the country. The stations measure and track temperature, rainfall, wind, humidity and atmospheric pressure to provide daily forecasts and warn against severe weather like typhoons.
However, the stations have limitations in terms of real-time observation and localized monitoring, thus the need for so-called storm chasers to investigate conditions on the ground.
“We all know that here in our country, the topography is very complex, the area is complex, there are coastal communities. So, not all of that is covered by stations, satellites, and radar. For example, the one we went to last time in Aurora was a coastal community. It’s very complex, especially when we talked about the storm surge. We can only observe and measure what the impact was by having a team on the ground,” DoST-PAGASA weather specialist and storm chaser Marco Polo Ibañez said in Filipino.
Engineer Wilfredo H. Tuazon, the assistant weather services chief of theDOST-PAGASA’s Hydro Meteorology, Tropical Meteorology, and Instruments Research and Development Section, said the agency deploys storm chasers during a typhoon. The storm chaser team coordinator works with weather specialist and storm chaser Lean Michael A. Malabanan in getting to know the local perspective of the affected community and assess how they respond and prepare for the weather information they receive.
“It’s very important that we know how their minds work so that we can further refine how we deliver our weather and climate information,” Malabanan said.
Unlike weather forecasters who are office-based and are more focused on the entire country’s weather status, storm chasers are deployed onsite, chasing a tropical cyclone that is forecasted to cause severe damage.
“So, we are closely working with the weather division to know the forecast. But when we are already in the field, we do the monitoring and nowcasting. When you say nowcasting, for the next three to six hours, where will the storm go, etc.,” Ibañez said.
He added that the storm chasing team works closely with the forecasters, serving as their eyes on the ground and providing hourly field updates to allow them to validate and cross-check forecasted weather conditions against actual observations in real time. This continuous feedback enhances situational awareness and helps ensure that weather advisories and warnings remain accurate and responsive to evolving conditions.
Tuazon, Ibañez, and Malabanan are among the storm chasers deployed to Barangay Sabang, Baler, Aurora province during super typhoon “Uwan” in November 2025.
According to Tuazon, the storm chasing team is usually composed of five to seven members: a team leader, documenter, instrumentalist, at least three meteorologists, and drivers who also assist the team.
The team leader acts as the overall coordinator and head of delegation for the team, while the documenter collects photos and videos before, during and after the deployment.
The instrumentalist is in charge of installing the equipment used to gather data, such as, but not limited to, digital barometers, ultrasonic wind sensors, and automatic and manual rain gauges.
While the ideal team is 10 to 15 members for three teams, Tuazon said DoST-PAGASA can only deploy one to two teams, with five to seven members each, because of budget and manpower limitations.
Currently, there are around 10 to 15 storm chasers and their deployment is limited to Luzon areas. Not all of them can be deployed simultaneously in the field during typhoon events, as some are also assigned to serve as DoST-PAGASA representatives at the Office of the Civil Defense to ensure that disaster response and coordination efforts are guided by precise, science-based, and real-time weather information. This limits the number of storm chasers available for field deployment at any given time.
