Warming Planet Triggers Fiercer Storms Across South Asia: Report

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Istanbul: Extreme rainfall events are growing significantly more intense in Sri Lanka and across the Malacca Strait region due to global warming, according to a World Weather Attribution (WWA) report released Wednesday.

The report warned that heavily populated areas in the region face increasing risks from heavy rainfall and destructive flooding, following last month’s deadly floods that hit Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia, killing more than 2,230 people.

“For the Malacca Strait region, the increase in extreme rainfall associated with rising global mean surface temperature is estimated at about 9% to 50%.

Over Sri Lanka, the trends are even stronger; heavy five-day precipitation events such as those linked to Cyclonic Storm Ditwah are now about 28% to 160% more intense due to current levels of warming,” the report said.

The Malacca Strait is bordered by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

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In Sri Lanka, the death toll from Cyclone Ditwah has climbed to 639, with 203 people still missing as of Thursday, according to the Daily Mirror newspaper. More than 2.3 million people have been affected.

The UN on Thursday announced a plan seeking $35.3 million in additional life-saving assistance for communities hit by Cyclone Ditwah. The emergency plan aims to reach 658,000 of the most vulnerable people requiring urgent aid between December 2025 and April 2026.

On Indonesia’s Sumatra island, 990 people were killed in floods and landslides intensified by Cyclonic Storm Senyar, while 222 remain missing, according to the national disaster agency.

The WWA report stressed that although early warnings were issued in both Sri Lanka and Indonesia, gaps in information and communication technology infrastructure hindered the alerts from reaching many communities.

Even among those who received warnings, many were unable to anticipate the scale of the flooding. Language barriers, the timing of floods, and the remoteness of affected areas also exacerbated the challenges.