‘A barrage of typhoons supercharged by climate change’
By the Climate Centre
Climate change intensified the six typhoons that struck the Philippines over about a month in October and November, making the conditions that formed and fuelled them nearly twice as likely, World Weather Attribution scientists said today.
Starting in late October (with local names in brackets), Tropical Storm Trami (Kristine) dropped a month’s worth of rain over the northern Philippines, alone affecting more than 7 million people, followed in roughly the same area of the country by Kong-Rey (Leon), Yin-Xing (Marce), Toraji (Nika), and then Usagi (Ofel), which generated a three-metre storm surge, and most recently Typhoon Man-Yi (Pepito), which first made landfall on eastern Cantanduanes island, then a second time the next day on the main island of Luzon.
It was a clustering of storms reportedly not seen in the region since records began in 1951.
The International Federation increased its emergency appeal launched after the first storm to 10 million CHF, enabling the Philippine Red Cross to assist nearly 100,000 people across 16 provinces.
The WWA study found that the likelihood of at least three Category 3–5 typhoons hitting the Philippines has increased 25 per cent due to climate change, while the latest storms “highlight the need to prepare for back-to-back events”.
‘A huge chunk of the impact’
Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London, said today: “The barrage of typhoons was supercharged by climate change.
“While it is unusual to see so many typhoons hit the Philippines in less than a month, the conditions that gave rise to these storms are increasing as the climate warms.”
The Philippine archipelago is experiencing sea levels rising more than three times faster than the global average, boosting coastal surges from typhoons, the new WWA study says.
Heavy downpours are increasing, resulting in more dangerous landslides, such as in Mindanao in late January, while heatwaves also pose major challenges during summer.
In April, the country saw temperatures above 40°C that would have been virtually impossible without climate change, leading to school closures, crop failures, and deaths.
Afrhill Rances, Head of Communications for the IFRC Asia-Pacific region and herself a Filipina, said today: “The Philippines is on the front line of climate change. I’ve seen it getting worse since I was a child. In fact, my late father is from Camarines Sur, where a huge chunk of the impact was felt with these six typhoons.
“Every year, the impacts get worse – typhoons are more destructive, heatwaves are hotter and rising sea-levels are threatening coastal communities and cities.”
The study was conducted by 12 researchers and scientists from universities and meteorological agencies in the Philippines, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK.
Philippines Red Cross volunteers in October rescue people trapped by rising floodwater after Tropical Storm Trami. (Photo: PRC via IFRC)