El Nino is making the Pacific 'burn with fever', triggering typhoon after typhoon in East Asia
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.
TL;DR
- El Niño is exacerbating extreme weather in East Asia, causing unusually intense and frequent typhoons.
- Record-high sea surface temperatures in the Pacific are fueling these storms, with the ACE metric for the region forecast to be nearly double the 30-year average.
- Recent typhoons have caused significant damage, including fatalities, airport closures, crop destruction, and infrastructure damage.
- Scientists describe the Pacific Ocean as "burning with fever" due to El Niño, with forecasts predicting continued high sea surface temperatures.
- Simulations suggest that warmer conditions could increase total accumulated rainfall from storms by up to 26%, posing a severe risk of flooding.
- Governments are preparing for immediate impacts by urging stockpiling, securing property, and upgrading warning systems, but long-term resilience planning is crucial.
- The UN Development Programme highlights that community resilience is determined years in advance by infrastructure, water management, social protection, and public budgets.