Storms

Unequal evidence and impacts, limits to adaptation: Extreme Weather in 2025

Introduction  Every December we are asked the same question: was it a bad year for extreme weather? And each year, the answer becomes more unequivocal: yes. Fossil fuel emissions continue to rise, driving global temperatures upward and fueling increasingly destructive climate extremes across every continent. Although 2025 was slightly cooler than 2024 globally, it was … Continue reading “Unequal evidence and impacts, limits to adaptation: Extreme Weather in 2025”

Increasing heavy rainfall and extreme flood heights in a warming climate threaten densely populated regions across Sri Lanka and the Malacca Strait

Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka. UNDP 2025. Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo.

On 27 November, Cyclonic Storm Ditwah struck Sri Lanka with strong winds and very heavy rainfall, causing the worst flooding and landslides since the early 2000s (UN News, 2025). Cyclonic Storm Ditwah became the deadliest weather-related disaster since the 2004 tsunami. Meanwhile Indonesia, Malaysia and southern Thailand were experiencing persistent heavy rainfall, intensified by Cyclonic … Continue reading “Increasing heavy rainfall and extreme flood heights in a warming climate threaten densely populated regions across Sri Lanka and the Malacca Strait”

Climate change enhanced intensity of Hurricane Melissa, testing limits of adaptation in Jamaica and eastern Cuba

The Ministry of Health of Jamaica and PAHO asses the damage on public health infrastructures after Hurricane Melissa. Image by PAHO.

Early on October 28th, Hurricane Melissa made landfall on the southern coast of Jamaica as a Category 5 storm on the Saffir–Simpson scale, bringing extreme winds, torrential rainfall, and life-threatening storm surges to coastal areas. The following day, Melissa weakened to a Category 3 hurricane before striking Cuba, while also bringing heavy rain and flooding … Continue reading “Climate change enhanced intensity of Hurricane Melissa, testing limits of adaptation in Jamaica and eastern Cuba”

Climate change supercharged late typhoon season in the Philippines, highlighting the need for resilience to consecutive events

A Red Cross volunteer speaks to a man in the Philippines infront of a destroyed house with palm trees in the background.

The 2024 typhoon season in the Philippines was extraordinary, with six typhoons affecting the country within just 30 days, several of them simultaneously active in the region. This clustering of storms in November, never before witnessed in the basin, affected more than 13 million people, destroying lives and livelihoods and putting enormous strain on resources and infrastructure.