The effects of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season in the Philippines were considered some of the worst in decades. Throughout the year, a series of typhoons impacted the country, with the worst impacts coming from Typhoon Haiyan, especially in death toll, during November.
The first half of the season was relatively weak compared to the other intense seasons of 2004 and 2009. The season started off with Auring affecting southern Philippines on January 2. The next week after that, Bising formed consequently south of the country, which later moving off north becoming a bomb cyclone. After a month, Crising developed, tracking like Auring.
During the second half of the season, tropical activity within the Western Pacific rose especially on the month of August. A series of storms formed or entered the Philippine area of Responsibility during the first week of June until the middle of July, which brought heavy rainfall throughout the country. Tropical activity and the southwest monsoon gradually intensified after the dissipation of Tropical Depression Kiko, which Typhoon Labuyo made landfall over Luzon a few days after that. Even though Maring didn't made landfall whereabouts in the country, the system intensified the monsoon which brought extreme flooding throughout the country.
Even though September was weak, with Typhoon Odette impacting southern Taiwan and extreme northern Luzon, October was relatively active as well as dual typhoons appearing three times within the month. Just like Maring, Quedan enhanced the monsoon. The storm later intensified into a strong typhoon just in the upper part of the PAR, and later making landfall over eastern China with extreme damages. When Quedan was exiting the PAR, Ramil briefly entered their area while intensifying into a Category 4 typhoon. During the mid-week of the month, Typhoon Santi made landfall over central Luzon, with extreme damages. Category 5 Typhoon Francisco weakened to a minimal typhoon before entering their area with a codename of Urduja.
The last four named storms by PAGASA was from the last week of October until the mid-week of November. During late-October, Vinta made landfall over northern Luzon with little damages. As November came in, the PAGASA had monitored a weak Tropical Depression Wilma which had brought minor damages and a waterspout in southern Visayas. Later that week, Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) entered the area as a rapidly intensifying storm system with a fast-pace speed and was named Yolanda by PAGASA. The monstrous typhoon first made landfall over eastern Visayas with the JTWC unofficially estimating wind speeds of up to 305km/h (190mph). This made Haiyan the strongest storm globally to make landfall, in terms of 1-minute sustained wind speeds, until the record was broken by Super Typhoon Rolly (Goni) 7 years later. Upon impact, the storm produced a large storm surge, which was a primary cause for the abnormally high death toll of nearly 7,000 people Haiyan caused in the Philippines. Just like the formation of Bising during January, the last named storm, Zoraida, formed and impacted southern Philippines with hardly any deaths and damages. No storms formed after that from November through to the end of the year.
Moreover, this is the first time that PAGASA had used all 25 names in their list since 2004 which also marks one of a few active seasons.
Seasonal statistics
Seasonal activity
January–February
On January 3, the PAGASA had started to issue advisories on a tropical depression and west named Auring, as it was located over the Sulu Sea. Public Storm Signal #1 were raised over western Visayas including Palawan. Heavy flooding was observed throughout Mindanao. PAGASA had also stated in one of their bulletins that heavy rainfall would be an estimate of 5–15mm per hour. A passenger vessel ran aground on Thursday, after being hammered by strong winds and waves spawned by tropical depression Auring, but all 228 passengers were rescued unharmed over in Dumaguete. Within the Philippines, one person died, while a passenger ship was stranded near the coast of Dumaguete on January 3 before being rescued. PAGASA had issued their final warning, which was upgraded to Tropical Storm Auring, as it heads out of the Philippine area of Responsibility and was later upgraded by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to Tropical Storm Sonamu on January 4. By January 8, the NDRRMC confirmed that the total death toll rose to 2 and 12 were injured by Tropical Storm Auring. At least 63 houses were damages while 122 were destroyed. Damages from the storm are unknown, but the effects were minor.