Unprecedented sea surface warmth, reaching up to 4 degrees Celsius above average, has transformed tropical weather patterns across South East and East Asia. The resulting systems have displaced vast populations, cut electricity to thousands of island residents, and generated dangerous flood events. Simulations in the Philippines demonstrate that these elevated temperatures can increase storm rainfall by 26 percent. Meteorologists warn that the dangerous conditions will persist as ocean warmth continues to climb over the next three months.
Key points
The ongoing El Niño is projected by the UK Met Office to be the strongest event in living…: The ongoing El Niño is projected by the UK Met Office to be the strongest event in living memory.
Elevated ocean warmth will persist through February or March, sustaining elevated risk le…: Elevated ocean warmth will persist through February or March, sustaining elevated risk levels for regional infrastructure.
Accumulated Cyclone Energy across East and South East Asia is forecast to hit nearly doub…: Accumulated Cyclone Energy across East and South East Asia is forecast to hit nearly double its 30-year average.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
Wild weather is a way of life for people living along the coast in the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Japan. But the last few months have been extraordinary.
A wave of intense and, at times, unpredictable storms exacerbated by the El Niño weather pattern has killed dozens, shuttered major airports and wiped out crops and infrastructure across a swathe of East Asia.
In October, nearly all of Taiwan shut down as a monster storm big enough to engulf the island of 23 million roared towards its north-eastern coast. Equivalent to a category five hurricane, Typhoon Champi's 295km/h (193mph) winds had the power to flatten homes and whip up destructive waves.
Thankfully it did not make landfall in Taiwan, skirting past the island while dousing it in rain. But it had far-reaching impacts: hundreds of flights were cancelled in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. In the Philippines' Batanes archipelago, seaside highways shut as huge waves crashed onto the shore, and in southern Japan's Okinawa islands, power was cut to 15,000 homes.
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon…
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