Beyond radars and rain gauges: the need for ‘storm chasers’ during typhoons

Metro Manila, Philippines – As the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA) declares the onset of the rainy season, people rely on weather forecasts from either directly to the weather agency or through newscasts on TV, radio, and even online.

Data and information like the location and current track of typhoon, landfall area, hoisted tropical cyclone wind signals (TCWS), maximum sustained winds, gustiness, expected damage to properties, and a lot more come from the weather stations deployed across the country, primarily operated by the DOST-PAGASA.

These stations monitor and observe the weather through a combination of manual synoptic stations and automated, technology-driven systems. They track key variables like temperature, rainfall, wind, humidity, and atmospheric pressure – to provide daily forecasts and warn against severe weather like typhoons.

However, weather experts said these stations have limitations in terms of real-time observation and localized monitoring, thus the need to deploy a small team called ‘storm chasers’ on the ground during typhoons to conduct ground truth investigation.

“Alam kasi natin na, ‘di ba, dito sa bansa natin, very complex ‘yong topography, complex ‘yong lugar, may mga coastal community. So hindi lahat ng iyon ay naco-cover ng mga station, satellite, and radar. So, for example, ‘yong pinuntahan namin last time sa Aurora, coastal community siya. So very complex, lalo na pag pinag-usapan natin ‘yong storm surge. So mao-observe at mame-measure lang natin kung ano iyong naging impact noon by having a team sa ground,” weather specialist I and storm chaser Marco Polo Ibañez said in an interview.

[Translation: 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.]

While it may seem new to the public, storm chasers have existed even in the ‘90’s, said some sources across the web.

A number of sources define a storm chaser as someone who intentionally pursues severe weather to conduct scientific research or media coverage. However, Wilfredo Tuazon said storm chasers are a group of meteorologists formed as a specialized technical working group, specifically during typhoon season.

Tuazon is the assistant weather services chief of the Hydro Meteorology, Tropical Meteorology, and Instruments Research and Development Section and the storm chaser team coordinator.

Moreover, weather specialist and storm chaser Lean Michael Malabanan said that by having a team on the ground, DOST-PAGASA gets to know the local perspective of the affected community and assess how they respond and prepare for the weather information they receive.

“Mahalagang-mahalaga na malaman namin kung paano tumatakbo ‘yong isip nila para mas ma-refine pa natin, kung paano natin i-de-deliver ‘yong mga weather and climate information natin,” Malabanan said.

[Translation: 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.]

Unlike forecasters based in the office and focused on the entire 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 para malaman namin yung forecast. Pero during the deployment, pag nasa field na kami, monitoring na ‘yong ginagawa namin, and nowcasting. So pag sinabing now casting, for the next three to six hours, saan papunta yung bagyo, etc. [So if it’s now casting, for the next three to six hours, where the storm is headed],” Ibañez said.

He said a storm chasing team works closely with the forecasters by providing hourly field updates that serve as the forecaster’s eyes on the ground, allowing 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 during Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong) in November 2025 at Barangay Sabang, Baler Aurora.

Tuazon said the storm chasing team has five to seven members, namely, a team leader, documenter, instrumentalist, at least three meteorologists, and drivers who are also in charge of assisting the team.

The team leader acts as the overall coordinator and head of delegation for the team, while the document collector gathers photos and videos before, during, and after the deployment. Meanwhile, 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 deployment is 10-15 members for three teams, Tuazon said there are currently limitations in the budget and manpower of DOST-PAGASA. Thus, they can only deploy one to two teams, with five to seven members each. As of this writing, the deployment of storm chasers is limited to Luzon areas only. With this, weather experts are calling for more government support.

“Budget po talaga. Hindi po siya joke-joke na sagot, pero kasi, ‘yong budget constraints talaga ‘yong naging, one of the main challenges siguro kasi, mayroon kaming nakalaan na budget for a year in a storm for a storm chasing activity. However, paano pagka sunod-sunod ‘yong bagyo?” Malabanan said.

[It’s really the budget. It is not a joke. Budget constraints have been one of the main challenges. We have an annual budget for storm chasing. But what if the storms are back-to-back?]

DOST-PAGASA has around 10-15 storm chasers. However, 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.