Pioneering meteorologist and former PAGASA chief Leoncio Amadore passes away at 87

MANILA — Atmospheric scientist and former PAGASA administrator Leoncio Amadore Sr. died on Thursday, October 8, his family confirmed. He was 87.

Fondly known as “Sir Ama” by his colleagues and students, Amadore was born in Basey, Samar on July 1, 1939.

He became PAGASA’s second administrator in 1994 and led the agency until 2001.

Despite his small stature, soft-spoken nature, and humility, Amadore was widely respected for his scientific expertise. He specialized in weather forecasting, tropical cyclones, and the southwest monsoon and was regarded as the country’s foremost synoptic meteorologist during his time.

In 1972, he developed the Amadore Method, a practical approach to tracking tropical cyclone movement based on climatology and a storm’s prevailing direction. 

In 1985, he published his work on Typhoon Damage Scale, which correlated tropical cyclone wind speeds with potential damage to structures and vegetation.

PAGASA said his study helped inform the addition of Signal No. 5 to the agency’s tropical cyclone wind warning system in 2015. 

In the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda, Amadore, then in his 70s, led research into the impacts of storm surge in his hometown.

From 2008 to 2020, Amadore was a professorial lecturer at the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology of the UP College of Science. He also taught synoptic meteorology in PAGASA’s Meteorologist Training Course for many years.

His students remembered him as a gentle and encouraging mentor who made consultations reassuring but asked difficult questions that challenged students during thesis defense.

In a Facebook post, PAGASA paid tribute to Amadore’s service and leadership.

“Dr. Amadore served the country for over 40 years. He led PAGASA with his expertise, experience, and passion in weather forecasting and atmospheric science,” the agency said.

Meanwhile, UP-IESM honored his legacy as an educator.

“Through his knowledge, experience, and dedication to teaching, he contributed to the academic formation of generations of Meteorology students,” the institute said in a Facebook post.

Amadore joined the Weather Bureau in 1960, before finishing his BS Education degree from FEATI University in 1968. He majored in Math and minored in Physics.

He later earned his Master of Science degree in Meteorology in 1972 from the then Department of Meteorology and Oceanography of the University of the Philippines-Diliman. Later that year, the Weather Bureau was abolished and PAGASA was established.

From 1972 to 1975, he pursued further studies in weather prediction and weather modification at the University of Miami in Florida, United States as a fellow of the United Nations Development Program and the World Meteorological Organization.

He completed his PhD in Meteorology from UP Diliman in 1989.

His contributions to public service and atmospheric science earned him several distinctions, including the Civil Service Commission’s Pag-asa Award in 1984 for distinguished and outstanding accomplishments in public service and the Atmospheric Scientist Achievement Award from the National Research Council of the Philippines in 2002.

Amadore is survived by his wife and four children.