Climate change and extreme
weather impacts hit Asia hard
Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from weather,climate and water-related hazards in 2023. Floods and storms caused the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses, whilst the impact of heatwaves became more severe, according to a new report from the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO).
Key messages
Long-term warming trend acceleratesAsia is world’s most disaster-prone region
Water-related hazards are top threat, but extreme heat is
becoming more severe
Melting glaciers threaten future water security
Sea surface temperatures and ocean heat hit record highs
The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, which will have major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region.In 2023, sea-surface temperatures in the north-west Pacific Ocean were the highest on record. Even the Arctic Ocean suffered a marine heatwave.
Asia is warming faster than the global average. The warming trend has nearly doubled since the 1961–1990 period. “The report's conclusions are sobering. Many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, along with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts and heatwaves to floods and storms. Climate change exacerbated the frequency and severity of such events, profoundly impacting societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives and the environment that we live in,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
In 2023, a total of 79 disasters associated with hydro-meteorological hazard events were reported in Asia according to the Emergency Events Database. Of these, over 80% were related to flood and storm events, with more than 2 000 fatalities and nine million people directly affected. Despite the growing health risks posed by extreme heat, heat-related mortality is frequently not reported.
“Yet again, in 2023, vulnerable countries were disproportionately impacted. For example, tropical cyclone Mocha, the strongest cyclone in the Bay of Bengal in the last decade, hit Bangladesh and Myanmar. Early warning and better preparedness saved thousands of lives,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which partnered in producing the report.
“In this context, the State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report is an effort to bridge gaps between climate science and disaster risk through evidence-based policy proposals. ESCAP and WMO, working in partnership, will continue to invest in raising climate ambition and accelerating the implementation of sound policy, including bringing an early warning to all in the region so that no one is left behind as our climate change crisis continues to evolve,” she said.
Approximately 80% of WMO Members in the region provide climate services to support disaster risk reduction activities. However, less than 50% of Members provide climate projections and tailored products that are needed to inform risk management and adaptation to and mitigation of climate change and its impacts, according to the report.
The report, one of a series of WMO regional State of the Climate reports, was released during the 80th session of the Commission in Bangkok, Thailand. It is based on input from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, United Nations partners and a network of climate experts. It reflects WMO’s commitment to prioritize regional initiatives and inform decision-making.
Temperatures
The annual mean near-surface temperature over Asia in 2023 was the second highest on record, 0.91 °C [0.84 °C–0.96 °C] above the 1991–2020 average and 1.87 °C [1.81 °C–1.92 °C] above the 1961–1990 average. Particularly high average temperatures were recorded fromwestern Siberia to central Asia and from eastern China to Japan. Japan and Kazakhstan each had record warm years.
Precipitation
In 2023, precipitation was below normal in large parts of the
Turan Lowland (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan); the
Hindu Kush (Afghanistan, Pakistan); the Himalayas; around the
Ganges and lower course of the Brahmaputra Rivers (India and
Bangladesh); the Arakan Mountains (Myanmar); and the lower
course of the Mekong River. Southwest China suffered from a drought,
with below-normal precipitation levels nearly every month of 2023, and
the rains associated with the Indian Summer Monsoon were below
average.
Cryosphere
The High-Mountain Asia region is the high-elevation area centred on
the Tibetan Plateau and contains the largest volume of ice outside
of the polar regions, with glaciers covering an area of approximately 1
00 000 km2. Over the last several decades, most of these glaciers
have been retreating, and at an accelerating rate.
Twenty out of 22 observed glaciers in the High Mountain Asia region
showed continued mass loss. Record-breaking high temperature
and dry conditions in the East Himalaya and most of the Tien Shan
exacerbated mass loss for most glaciers. During the period 2022–2023,
Urumqi Glacier No. 1, in Eastern Tien Shan, recorded its second
highest negative mass balance since measurements began in 1959.
Permafrost is soil that continuously remains below 0 °C for two or
more years and is a distinctive feature of high-latitude and high-altitude
environments. Monitoring carried out by the Russian Federal Service
for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring indicates that
the most rapid thawing of permafrost is in the European north,
the Polar Urals, and the western regions of Western Siberia. This is
due to the continuing increase in air temperatures in the high latitudes
of the Arctic.
Snow cover extent over Asia in 2023 was slightly less than the 1998–
2020 average.
Sea surface temperatures and ocean heat
The sea surface in the areas of the Kuroshio current system
(west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin), the Arabian Sea, the
Southern Barents Sea, the Southern Kara Sea, and the South-Eastern
Laptev Sea is warming more than three times faster than the globally
averaged sea surface temperature.
In 2023, the area-averaged sea surface temperature anomalies were
the warmest on record in the North-west Pacific Ocean. The Barents
Sea is identified as a climate change hotspot because ocean surface
warming has a major impact on sea-ice cover, and there is a feedback
mechanism in which loss of sea-ice in turn enhances ocean warming
because darker sea surfaces can absorb more solar energy than the
highly reflective sea-ice.
Warming of the upper-ocean (0 m–700 m) is particularly strong in
the North-Western Arabian Sea, the Philippine Sea and the seas east
of Japan, more than three times faster than the global average.
Marine heatwaves - prolonged periods of extreme heat that affect the
ocean - occurred in a large area of the Arctic Ocean, in the Eastern
Arabian Sea and the Northern Pacific, and lasted three to five months.
Extreme events
In 2023, over 80% of reported hydrometeorological hazards in Asia
were flood and storm events, according to EM-DAT data. Specifically,
floods were the leading cause of death in reported events in 2023
by a substantial margin. In India, Yemen, and Pakistan, floods were
the natural hazard event which caused the greatest number of fatalities,
highlighting the continuing high level of vulnerability of Asia to natural
hazard events, especially floods.
In 2023, a total of 17 named tropical cyclones formed over the western
North Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. This was below average
but there were still major impacts and record-breaking rainfall in countries
including China, Japan, the Philippines and Republic of Korea.
In the North Indian Ocean basin, Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm
Mocha made landfall along the Rakhine Coast in Myanmar on 14 May,
causing widespread destruction and 156 reported deaths.
Several extreme precipitation events took place in 2023. In June,
July and August, several floods and storm events resulted in more
than 600 reported deaths across India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
The Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters recorded an hourly rainfall
total of 158.1 mm on 7 September, the highest since records began in
1884, as a result of a typhoon. Several stations in Vietnam observed
record-breaking daily rainfall amounts in October.
Heavy rainfall led to flooding in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates in November.
Yemen also suffered heavy rainfall and resulting widespread flooding.
In August and early September 2023, the far eastern part of the
Russian Federation suffered catastrophic flooding in one of the largest
disasters in recent decades, affecting about 40 000 hectares of rural land.
Many parts of Asia experienced extreme heat events in 2023. Japan
experienced its hottest summer on record. China experienced 14 high
temperature events in summer, with about 70% of national meteorological
stations exceeding 40℃ and 16 stations breaking their temperature
records.
In India, severe heatwaves in April and June resulted in about 110
reported fatalities due to heatstroke. A major and prolonged heatwave
affected much of South-East Asia in April and May, extending as far
west as Bangladesh and Eastern India, and north to southern China,
with record-breaking temperatures.
Challenges and opportunities
According to the WMO climate services checklist data, 82% of Member
countries in the region provide data services to support disaster risk
reduction.
However, currently less than 50% of National Meteorological and
Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the region provide tailored products
for the disaster risk reduction community.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to advance these efforts and provide
more tailored support and services to address strategies and interventions
to effectively mitigate rising disaster risks.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency
of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation
in atmospheric science and meteorology.
WMO monitors weather, climate, and water resources and provides
support to its Members in forecasting and disaster mitigation.
The organization is committed to advancing scientific knowledge and
improving public safety and well-being through its work.
For further information, please contact:
- Clare NullisWMO media officercnullis@wmo.int+41 79 709 13 97
- WMO Strategic Communication Office Media media@wmo.int Contact
