Deadly November Asian storms 'supercharged' by climate change

The deadly storms that devastated Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in late November were "supercharged" by higher sea temperatures and made worse by rapid deforestation, scientists said in a study published on Thursday.



Tropical Cyclone Senyar devastated large parts of Southeast Asia after forming in the Malacca Strait, killing nearly 1,200, including 969 on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. At least $3 billion in relief funds are required to fix the damage. Sri Lanka was hit by floods and landslides caused by Tropical Cyclone Ditwah, with the death toll exceeding 600 and economic losses estimated at around $7 billion.



A team of researchers with the World Weather Attribution group said that during the most intensive five days of rainfall, sea surface temperatures in the North Indian Ocean were 0.2 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 average, packing the storms with additional heat and energy.