Severe Storms Strike East Asia as Strong El Niño Warms the Pacific

A wave of intense storms driven by the El Niño weather pattern has killed dozens of people, shut down major airports, and wiped out crops and infrastructure across East Asia over the past few months. In October, nearly all of Taiwan shut down as Typhoon Champi brought winds of 295 kilometres per hour, while hundreds of flights were cancelled across Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, power was cut to 15,000 homes in Japan's Okinawa islands, and seaside highways shut in the Philippines.

Storms and Impacts

Earlier in the year, June storms in Japan forced one million people to evacuate, July storms submerged villages in China's Guangxi region, and August brought Super Typhoon Dolphin and Typhoon Saudel to China. The Pacific Ocean has heated to record levels, causing storms to form further east and grow stronger. Sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific recently soared to four degrees Celsius above normal, breaking a previous record set in December 1997. Experts warn that sea temperatures will keep rising over the next three months, and forecasts indicate that the current El Niño could last until February or March.

Context

El Niño is a natural climate cycle that happens every two to seven years, bringing warm water to the eastern Pacific and changing global weather patterns. While the region is used to dealing with seasonal storms, scientists warn that higher temperatures lead to heavier rainfall and stronger typhoons, forcing countries across Asia to upgrade their disaster readiness and food security measures.