Throughout the season , sea surface temperatures within the western equatorial Pacific were above normal , including those in the South China Sea . Areas of convection persisted year @-@ round in the lower latitudes , particularly around the Philippines . Atmospheric divergence was also prevalent in the same regions , resulting in enhanced tropical cyclogenesis east of the Philippines in 2003 ; the mean region of development of tropical systems during the year was more southwest than the 1971 – 2000 30 @-@ year average . In 2003 , the JMA monitored 21 tropical cyclones of at least tropical storm intensity ; of those , 14 reached typhoon intensity . Though the number of tropical storms was below average , the ratio between tropical storms and typhoons was 66 % greater than normal . The Philippine Atmospheric , Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration ( PAGASA ) monitored three additional cyclones of at least tropical storm intensity that were not monitored by the JMA .