DOST said that Sierra Madre “helps” during typhoons
Sierra Madre Mountain Range has been tagged as the “shield” of Luzon against typhoons, and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) had this explanation about this.
During typhoons, especially in Luzon, the mountain range would always become a trending topic on social media. As the Philippines suffered from super typhoon Uwan, netizens once again talked about the famous mountain range.
In a recent Facebook post, DOST provided an explanation on the question of whether the Sierra Madre Mountain Range contributes to protecting neighboring areas from the severe winds of a strong typhoon.
The agency stated that the Mountain Range helps as a shield against typhoons in Luzon because. It has the ability to slightly weaken or slow down the strength of the winds brought by the typhoon, especially in the northeastern part of the region.
However, DOST stressed that the mountain range that it does not provide complete protection againt the severe effect of the typhoon. “Gayunman, hindi ito nagbibigay ng ganap na proteksyon laban sa matitinding epekto ng mga ito,” the agency said.
DOST also stressed that the strength of the typhoon does not weaken much in the first six (6) hours after making landfall, even with the presence of the mountains.”
This explanation from the agency mirrored the post that n is American storm chaser Josh Morgerman shared. Morgerman arrived in the county on November 8, 2025, to cover the typhoon.
Sa mga updates na nakikita niya sa Facebook at X accounts, maraming Filipino netizens ang nagpo-post tungkol sa naging tulong daw ng Sierra Madre para mapahina ang bagyo. He reacted to “misinformation” about the mountain range, based on the article in PEP.
“Many folks are posting misinformation about the Sierra Madre Mountains in the Philippines. Let me set the record straight: The Sierra Madre chain weakens typhoons after they make landfall on the east coast of Luzon,” he said.
He stressed that the mountain range “does not protect the east coast of Luzon, which regularly experiences some of the strongest tropical cyclone impacts in the world.”
DOST stated that the Cordillera Mountain Range contributes a lot more when it comes weakening the effect of the typhoon. The agency explained, “Nakababawas ng lakas ng hangin ng humigit-kumulang 1-13%, ngunit nakapagpapataas ng ulan sa kanlurang bahagi nito (kasama ang Metro Manila) ng 23-55%.”
It also stated that the Sierra Madre in Cagayan Valley served as “panangga” or protection. The agency also mentioned the study conducted by Dr. Gerry Bagtasa at Dr. Bernard Alan Racoma (2023), which was published in the Philippine Journal of Science, saying that rain and flooding still have a more devastating effect than strong winds.