Rising temperatures and extreme weather hit Asia hard
Asia is currently warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, fuelling more extreme weather and wreaking a heavy toll on the region’s economies, ecosystems and societies, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
- Asia is warming at twice the global average
- Sea surface temperature record high in 2024
- Marine heatwaves were worst on record
- Glacier melt accelerated
- Floods and droughts destroyed lives and livelihoods
- Early warnings and action save lives
The WMO’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report says that 2024 was the warmest or second warmest year on record (depending on the dataset), with widespread and prolonged heatwaves. The warming trend between 1991–2024 was almost double that during the 1961–1990 period.
In 2024, heatwaves gripped a record area of the ocean. Sea surface temperatures were the highest on record, with Asia’s sea surface decadal warming rate nearly double the global average.
Sea level rise on the Pacific and Indian Ocean sides of the continent exceeded the global average, heightening risks for low-lying coastal areas.
Reduced winter snowfall and extreme summer heat were punishing for glaciers. In the central Himalayas and Tian Shan. 23 out of 24 glaciers suffered mass loss, leading to an increase in hazards like glacial lake outburst floods and landslides and long-term risks for water security.
Extreme rainfall wreaked havoc and heavy casualties in many countries in the region, and tropical cyclones left a trail of destruction, whilst drought caused heavy economic and agricultural losses.
“The State of the Climate in Asia report highlights the changes in key climate indicators such as surface temperature, glacier mass and sea level, which will have major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region. Extreme weather is already exacting an unacceptably high toll,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
“The work of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and their partners is more important than ever to save lives and livelihoods,” she said.
The report included a case study from Nepal, showing how strengthened early warning systems and anticipatory action enable communities to prepare for and respond to climate variability and change, thereby helping to protect lives and livelihoods.
The State of the Climate reports are flagship reports of WMO and provide policy-relevant information for national and regional decision-making.
Key messages
Temperatures
In 2024, Asia’s average temperature was about 1.04°C above the 1991–2020 average, ranking as the warmest or second warmest year on record, depending on the dataset.
Asia is the continent with the largest land mass extending to the Arctic and is warming more than twice as fast as the global average because the temperature increase over land is larger than the temperature increase over the ocean.
Many parts of the region experienced extreme heat events in 2024. Prolonged heatwaves affected East Asia from April to November. Monthly average temperature records were broken one after another in Japan (April, July and October), in the Republic of Korea (April, June, August and September) and in China (April, May, August, September, and November).
Heat waves were also reported in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Myanmar set a new national temperature record of 48.2°C.
Ocean
The entire oceanic area of the WMO Region II in Asia experienced surface ocean warming over the past decades, with particularly rapid rates in the northern Arabian Sea and Pacific Ocean. Average sea surface temperatures increased at a rate of 0.24°C per decade, which is double the global mean rate of 0.13°C per decade.
In 2024, most of the ocean area of Asia was affected by marine heatwaves of strong, severe, or extreme intensity – the largest extent since records began in 1993. The northern Indian Ocean and in the ocean area adjacent to Japan, the Yellow and East China seas were especially affected.
During August and September 2024, nearly 15 million square kilometers of the region’s ocean was impacted – one tenth of the Earth’s entire ocean surface, about the same size as the Russian Federation and more than 1.5 times the area of China.
The rates of sea-level rise in the Indian and Pacific Ocean areas bordering Asia are higher than the global mean rate over January 1993–November 2024.
Cryosphere
Large parts of the Arctic Ocean experienced significant sea ice melt, with the ice edge shifting far northward by the end of the season.
The High-Mountain Asia (HMA) region, centred on the Tibetan Plateau, contains the largest volume of ice outside the polar regions, with glaciers covering an area of approximately 100 000 square km. It is known as the world’s Third Pole.
Over the last several decades, most glaciers in this region have been retreating.
23 out of 24 glaciers in the High-Mountain Asia region showed continued mass loss during 2023/2024. Reduced winter snowfall and extreme summer heat in the central Himalayas and most of the Tian Shan intensified mass loss for most glaciers.
Urumqi Glacier No.1, located in the eastern Tian Shan, recorded its most negative mass balance since measurements began in 1959.
Extreme events
Tropical Cyclone Yagi, the strongest storm of the year, caused widespread damage and casualties across Viet Nam, the Philippines, Lao PDR, Thailand, Myanmar, and China.
Severe snow melt and record-breaking rainfall in Central Asia (mainly Kazakhstan and southern Russia) led to the worst flooding in at least 70 years, forcing the evacuation of 118 000 people were evacuated.
West Asia was also hit by heavy rainfall: in the United Arab Emirates, 259.5 mm of rain fell in 24 hours – one of the most extreme precipitation events since records began in 1949.
Major landslides occurred in northern Kerala in India on 30 July following extreme rainfall, with totals locally exceeding 500 mm in the 48 hours prior to the event. More than 350 deaths were reported as a result of the event.
In late September, record-breaking rainfall in Nepal triggered severe floods, killing at least 246 people. Damages exceeded 12.85 billion Nepalese rupees (about US$ 94 million at current exchange rates). Coordinated anticipatory action enabled life-saving support to over 130,000 people, reducing health risks and casualties.
By contrast, drought in China affected nearly 4.8 million people, damaged 335,200 hectares of crops, and led to estimated 2.89 billion Chinese yuan (CNY) in direct losses (more than US $400 million at current exchange rates).
Notes to Editors
The State of the Climate in Asia report is based on input from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and a wide network of experts from the WMO community and international and regional partners. WMO wishes to thank all contributors.
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 Nullis WMO media officer cnullis@wmo.int +41 79 709 13 97
- WMO Strategic Communication Office Media Contact media@wmo.int
- Region:
- Region II: Asia