Palawan typhoon season: how real the risk is and what a storm means for your trip

When is typhoon season in Palawan?

The Philippines has no official typhoon season dates, but PAGASA, the national weather service, gives the pattern: about 20 tropical cyclones a year enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility, more than anywhere else in the world, and 8 or 9 of them cross the country. The peak is July to October, when nearly 70% of typhoons develop. Most of those storms form in the Pacific and move northwest across Luzon and the Visayas, well north of Palawan.

Palawan's own calendar is shifted later. From June to October the island's main problem is the habagat, the southwest monsoon, which a storm passing far to the north can strengthen into days of wind and swell. The storms that have actually crossed Palawan in recent years came in November and December, at the end of the season, when tracks tend to run farther south. From January to April, under the drier amihan winds, a typhoon reaching Palawan is very unlikely.

How exposed is Palawan to typhoons?

Palawan lies west of the main typhoon belt, and the Puerto Princesa city government describes the city as outside it. Less frequent does not mean never, though, and the three storms that did hit all struck the north, where El Nido and Coron are. Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) made its sixth Philippine landfall on Busuanga on the night of November 8, 2013; Coron's mayor reported days later that the airport was wrecked and most houses in the town proper damaged.

Typhoon Rai (Odette) made its final landfall at Roxas, between Puerto Princesa and El Nido, on December 17, 2021, killing more than 20 people in the province and hitting Roxas, Araceli and San Vicente hardest. On November 5, 2025, Typhoon Kalmaegi (Tino) made its last Philippine landfall in El Nido after PAGASA raised Signal No. 4 over El Nido, Taytay, Araceli and the Calamian Islands; the town's hospital, a school and a convent were damaged.

The more common disruption is indirect. On August 18, 2026, for example, the Philippine Ports Authority listed Coron's expedition tours, Culion's island tours and all Culion boats of 15 gross tons or less as canceled because of the habagat. That is the realistic picture for a wet-season trip: a few lost boat days rather than a disaster.

Tropical cyclone wind signals and gale warnings explained

PAGASA raises Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals for specific provinces and towns, so check whether your area is named, not just Palawan. Signal No. 1 means winds of 24-38 mph (39-61 km/h) are expected within 36 hours, with minimal damage. Signal No. 2 means 39-55 mph (62-88 km/h) within 24 hours, with local power cuts likely. Signal No. 3 is 55-73 mph (89-117 km/h) within 18 hours and widespread outages. Signals No. 4, 73-114 mph (118-184 km/h), and No. 5, 115 mph (185 km/h) or more, come with only 12 hours' notice and mean serious to catastrophic damage.

A gale warning is separate and needs no typhoon at all. PAGASA issues it for sea areas within 30 nautical miles of the coast when strong monsoon winds or a distant storm make the sea dangerous, and its bulletins say sea travel is risky for small craft, including all motor bancas of any type or tonnage, which should stay in port. Island-hopping boats are exactly that kind of craft.

What a storm means for tours, the ferry and flights

The Philippine Coast Guard's heavy-weather guidelines keep boats in port, except to seek shelter, when a signal is raised over their departure point, route or destination, and local stations add their own limits for small craft under gale warnings. When Kalmaegi approached in 2025, the coast guard suspended voyages of all vessels regardless of tonnage at nine stations across Palawan, and the Department of Tourism advised tourists to postpone sea travel. In El Nido and Coron the tourism offices stop island tours at the same time, so El Nido island hopping tours and Coron tours are canceled the evening before or at the pier.

The El Nido to Coron ferry crosses open water and is among the first services suspended; a suspension can last one day or several, and the backlog of passengers takes another day to clear. Flights are more resilient, but services to El Nido and Busuanga stop when a storm is close: on November 4, 2025, Philippine Airlines canceled its Cebu-Busuanga and Busuanga-Clark flights. Roads usually reopen quickly, though fallen trees blocked some roads in El Nido after Kalmaegi; our getting around guide lists the alternatives.

Refunds, rebooking and travel insurance

When the coast guard cancels sailings, local tour agencies usually move you to another day or refund the tour, but practice varies, so ask before you pay and get the policy in writing or in the booking confirmation. Tours booked online follow the listing's own terms, and weather cancellations by the operator are normally refunded or rescheduled; the Palawan tours we list show their cancellation conditions. Ferry passengers are reportedly moved to the next sailing that runs, with refund rules that differ between companies.

For storm cancellations, Cebu Pacific has typically offered free rebooking within 30 days, a travel fund or a full refund, although the details change with each advisory. Non-refundable hotel nights are the hardest money to recover, which is where insurance matters. Buy it when you book the trip: insurers treat a storm as a foreseeable event once it has been named, so a policy bought after that will not cover it. Check that the policy covers trip interruption, missed connections and extra nights caused by weather.

How to follow warnings during your trip

PAGASA publishes tropical cyclone bulletins, wind signals and gale warnings on pagasa.dost.gov.ph and its official social media accounts, and Philippine broadcasters repeat them. Under the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Act, the NDRRMC sends free emergency alerts to phones through the local networks, so a Philippine SIM or eSIM also brings you official warnings; our guide to SIM cards and eSIMs explains the options.

For local decisions, follow the Facebook pages of the El Nido and Coron municipal governments and their tourism and disaster-risk offices, and the coast guard's Palawan stations, which post sailing suspensions and resumptions. Your hotel and tour agency will usually know first whether boats are going out the next morning.

If a storm catches you in Palawan

Do not try to beat the storm by boat: once signals are up, the coast guard will not let tourist boats sail, and an unofficial crossing is dangerous. Stay where you are, extend your room early before others do, and follow instructions from your hotel and the barangay, including any evacuation from beachfront or low-lying rooms. Stock drinking water, snacks and some cash, as ATMs and card machines fail when the power goes out, and charge phones and power banks while you can.

After the storm, expect power and signal outages for a day or more, and wait for official clearance before going back on the water. Keep receipts for extra nights and changed tickets for your insurer, and contact your embassy if you need help. Plan your route with spare days, as our Palawan itineraries suggest, never take the ferry on the day of an international flight, and read our Palawan safety guide before you go. Traveling at the end of the year? Our guide to Palawan in December covers the holiday crowds as well as the weather.