Typhoons batter East Asia as El Niño makes Pacific 'burn with fever'
Summary
A series of powerful storms has caused deaths and widespread disruption across East Asia in recent months, including floods, evacuations, flight cancellations and power outages. The article says El Niño is warming Pacific waters and affecting wind patterns, which may help storms form farther east and grow stronger; forecasts warn that elevated sea temperatures could prolong the danger.Key Facts
- Typhoon Champi had winds reported at 295 km/h but did not make landfall in Taiwan.
- Champi led to hundreds of cancelled flights in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, while power was cut to 15,000 homes in Japan’s Okinawa islands.
- In June, Typhoon Mekkhala and Severe Tropical Storm Higos moved toward Japan at the same time, prompting one million people to evacuate.
- Tropical Storm Narra submerged villages in southern China in July and displaced tens of thousands of people.
- Super Typhoon Dolphin crossed the Pacific for 16 days before hitting eastern China in August, causing severe flooding and dozens of casualties.
- The article reports that this year’s accumulated cyclone energy for Southeast and East Asia is forecast to reach nearly twice the 30-year average.
- Equatorial Pacific sea temperatures reached 4°C above normal last month, the highest recorded by the Japan Meteorological Agency’s monitoring series, which began in 1949.
- China’s climate agency warned that Pacific sea temperatures could continue rising over the next three months.
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