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Rapid warming, extreme weather hit Asia hard in 2024, killing thousands and impacting economies: report
With its average temperature 1.04 degree Celsius above the last 30-year average, 2024 ranked as Asia's warmest to second warmest year on record, owing to different dataset interpretations, and its warming was nearly twice as fast as the global average, said a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The impacts of this high rate of warming in 2024 manifested through a range of extreme weather events, such as 29 tropical cyclones, prolonged and intense heat waves, and extreme rainfall events, that together killed thousands. These weather events also caused substantial losses to local communities and economies at large.
'The warming trend between 1991-2024 was almost double of that during the 1961-1990 period,' said the State of Climate in Asia 2024 report. The report is prepared by WMO in collaboration with regional and international meteorological organisations.
'Extreme weather is already exacting an unacceptably high toll,' said Professor Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General, WMO. She added that the report highlights how changes in key climate indicators such as surface temperature, glacier mass and sea level will have major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region.
The surface temperatures were warmer than average for almost the entire region, the WMO report said, and they were particularly above average from western China to Japan, over the Indochina Peninsula, the Middle East and central northern Siberia. Japan, for instance, experienced its warmest year on record, exceeding the previous record set in 2023.
The region was hit by intense land heat waves as well as marine heat waves. East Asia saw prolonged heatwaves from April to November, and monthly average temperature records were shattered in Japan, the Republic of Korea and China. In India, extreme heatwaves caused over 450 deaths across the country, the report said. India also saw deadly lightning events, killing about 1,300 people across the country.
Among tropical cyclones, Yagi was the strongest and deadliest in 2024. It impacted the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, and according to estimates, the damages ran into billions of dollars.
The northern Indian Ocean, which is adjacent to Japan and the Yellow and East China seas, faced particularly severe or extreme intensity of marine heatwaves. In terms of its extent, marine heatwaves created a record in 2024, impacting an area of nearly 15 million square kilometres.
While four tropical cyclones – Remal, Fengal, Dana – made landfall in the Indian sub-continent and killed about 90 people, Cyclone Asna, originating from the Arabian Sea, caused flooding in Gujarat and killed about 50 people.
In terms of rainfall, above normal rain was observed in the Arabian desert, Balochistan, parts of Myanmar, certain islands in Japan and even in the Siberian plains. Very heavy rainfall affected western Asia in mid-April, with daily rainfall in some areas exceeding the long-term annual average rainfall. The Dubai airport received 162.88 mm in 36 hours on 15 and 16 April, including 142 mm on April 16.
Meanwhile, Pakistan recorded its wettest April, and India witnessed the deadly rain-triggered landslide in Kerala's Wayanad district. Over 500 mm of rainfall in 48 hours was said to be one of the chief causes of the disaster, which killed over 350 people.
Glaciers continued to lose mass, as per the report, with 23 out of 24 glaciers in the High Mountain Asia region of central-south Asia spanning the Himalayas, Pamir mountains, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush.
'Reduced winter snowfall and extreme summer heat in the central Himalayas and most of the Tian Shan intensified mass loss for most glaciers. Notably, Urumqi Glacier No. 1, located in eastern Tian Shan, recorded its most negative mass balance since measurements began in 1959,' the report.
An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change.
Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
