I was supposed to climb Mt. Ugo with some friends but opted not to when I saw the weather forecast of the raging storm; I stayed in Baguio instead and even there I thought I would be stranded. It helps to plan ahead of things to come when traveling, planning a trip, on your next race or your next climb; and it does not only mean planning your budget or your clothes, but also checking the weather of the place you are about to visit. Planning our Batanes trip or the Mount Pulag hike, we made sure and we even double-checked the weather conditions before even going there for our safety and sanity.
I was very fortunate to be invited among bloggers who promote traveling locally by the Weather Philippines Foundation (WPF), the guys behind the latest app in your iOS or Android Phone: WeatherPH!
The WeatherPH app is free for download in your Android and iPhone handsets.
How does it work? Simple, when you have downloaded it and if your GPS or locator is activated, the app will give you a weather forecast of where you are right now. Moreover, if you wanted to get a 7-day forecast (that includes rainfall, wind speed, temprature, sunrise, sunset, moon phase and heat index) of a place so you can plan ahead:
1. Just click the (+) button at the bottom right (beside the sponsors);
2. Click on Choose Location and enter the city and it will be added on the dashboard!
Now, you might notice there are colors on each place (i.e., green, yellow, orange, red, purple/violet); this is the severity of the weather condition in that place. Note however, this does not include isolated thunderstorms. Going back, the colors signify if the weather condition is normal (green) or extreme (purple). You may visit their site (click here) to know more about the weather and the foundation. (Note: Information based on data collected shall not be taken as official data. Weather information from PAGASA remains official.)
How do WPF collect accurate weather conditions? Thanks to the coordination with the local government units (LGUs) with the help of the sponsors powered by the Aboitiz Group and Meteo Group, they have put up automatic weather stations (AWS) that log the needed information to forecast the weather of that location. WPF provided them as well, technical information on weather systems and processes to ensure the LGUs, Disaster Management teams and cities are ready for any change in weather.
On the lighter side of things, our trip to Anvaya Cove gave us a crash course on mountaineering thanks Coach Manny of Mountain Hardwear Philippines.
It’s a shame that my itching feet would want to climb again and I have yet to visit Mt. Ugo, Mt. Apo or even Sagada; maybe after people have found their forever (haha!). I really enjoyed the short lecture but really I wanted more, maybe next time! (If your company or your friends would want a comprehensive course, contact Coach Manny of UP Mountaineers via their Facebook page or email: [email protected])
After that with the rest of the bloggers, we had a great time enjoying our short stay in Anvaya Cove!
 Plan Your Next Trip with WeatherPH App! Press Release I was supposed to climb Mt. Ugo with some friends but opted not to when I saw the weather forecast of the raging storm; I stayed in Baguio instead and even there I thought I would be stranded.
