PAGASA launches PANaHon app for real-time weather tracking, forecast

State weather bureau PAGASA on Monday launched a mobile application providing near real-time data and forecasts on rainfall, temperature, and heat index.

The PAGASA National Hydro-Meteorological Observing Network or PANaHON was launched during the annual observance of the Typhoon and Flood Awareness Week (TFAW).

“Users can receive timely notifications directly on their mobile device, including tropical cyclone bulletins, thunderstorm and heavy rainfall warnings, and flood advisories,” PAGASA said in a press release.

The application’s launch comes after PANaHON’s initial operation via a website launched in 2025, and was later made available on the eGov mobile application.

“More than kalahati ng ating mga users ay gumagamit ng kanilang mobile phones to access the PAGASA website, as well as, ganon din po sa ating panahon.gov.ph, almost 70% din po ng ating users gumagamit ng kanilang mobile phones, ” PAGASA Information Officer Loren Joy Estrebillo said in a press conference.

(More than half of our users use their mobile phones to access the PAGASA website, and the same goes for our panahon.gov.ph—almost 70% of our users also use their mobile phones.)

PAGASA highlighted four key features of the PANaHON mobile application: locations, weather outlook, interactive map, and notification alerts.

Location

Using the platform’s location feature, alerts are received for the areas of interest, according to PAGASA.

During the app’s demonstration, users can use their current locations, add favorite or pin locations, and search for any location in the Philippines.

Weather Outlook

Similar to the information available on the PAGASA website, the PANaHON mobile app also provides its users with weather forecasts.

Demonstration shows that users can view daily and hourly forecasts, as well as a five-day outlook for select cities and tourist spots.

“Hourly forecasts and 5-day weather outlook features allow users to check the latest weather in their pinned locations, so they can plan and decide ahead,” PAGASA said.

Interactive map

PAGASA’s mobile app uses interactive maps to show active warnings depending on a user’s location.

The map uses a set of warning icons for thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, tropical cyclone bulletins, and flood advisories.

Estebrillo demonstrated that when a warning icon is taped, text-based information would pop up to give the user more details about the warning.

The application also features map overlays such as radar mosaic and satellite images to fit the users’ preferences.

“Magiging accessible din po 'yung sa mobile app 'yung gridded forecast… And for weather variables across the Philippines, enhanced po 'yung accessibility since pwede po kayong mag-zoom in or zoom-out,” Estrebillo said.

[The gridded forecast will also be accessible on the mobile app… And for weather variables across the Philippines, accessibility is enhanced since you can zoom in or zoom out.]

Users can tap grid points to view more details, while animations and time-slider features allow for better forecast visualization, she added.

Meanwhile, at the observation tab, users can access data from both synoptic stations and automatic weather stations across the country.

Notification alerts

During PAGASA’s demonstration of the application, the notification alerts were one of the features that they emphasized as helpful.

Push notification alerts enable users to receive real-time advisories on weather conditions in their current location, PAGASA said.

To enable the feature, users must allow notification alerts, grant device location access, and agree to the application's terms and conditions.

“To assure you, ‘yung data processing po nito (the data processing) will surely comply with the Data Privacy Act,” Estrebillo said.

The mobile app will share data such as device information, usage analytics, location data when enabled, and user notification preferences, she added.

According to PAGASA, the PANaHON mobile application will serve as a complementary platform with the built-in weather forecasts of smartphones.

The state weather bureau’s observance of the TFAW this year is from June 14 to June 20. —AOL, GMA News