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Typhoons batter East Asia as El Niño makes Pacific ‘burn with fever’
A series of unusually intense and unpredictable typhoons has battered East Asia, causing deaths, mass evacuations, airport closures and damage to homes, crops and infrastructure. The article links the recent storms to a powerful El Niño, which is heating Pacific waters and changing wind patterns, allowing storms to form farther east and strengthen over warm seas.
Typhoon Champi brought winds of up to 295km/h but passed Taiwan without making landfall; its effects included cancelled flights and power cuts. Other storms have flooded villages in China and prompted evacuations in Japan, while the region’s Accumulated Cyclone Energy is forecast to be nearly double its 30-year average. Pacific sea temperatures reached 4C above normal, the highest recorded since 1949, and forecasts suggest the elevated risks may continue into early 2027.
In short
- El Niño is fuelling a damaging run of East Asian storms.
- Pacific sea temperatures reached 4C above normal.
- Storm activity is forecast to exceed its 30-year average.
Explained simply
Typhoons are powerful tropical storms that can bring destructive winds, heavy rain and flooding. They form over warm seas, and their paths and strength depend partly on winds and ocean conditions.
El Niño is a recurring climate pattern in which parts of the tropical Pacific become warmer than usual. It can shift wind patterns and affect where storms form and how they develop, though it does not determine the course of any individual typhoon.
East Asia includes countries and territories exposed to seasonal typhoons, so changes in storm activity can affect people, transport, farming and power supplies across the region. Climate scientists track ocean temperatures and storm patterns to assess risks and help communities prepare.