Asia warming at nearly twice global rate, fuelling extreme weather: WMO

Asia is currently warming at nearly twice the global average, driving extreme weather events and inflicting serious impacts on the region's economies, ecosystems, and societies, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

In its "State of the Climate in Asia 2024" report released on Monday, the WMO said that the year 2024 was either the warmest or second warmest year on record--depending on the dataset used--with widespread and prolonged heatwaves affecting the region.

The warming trend between 1991 and 2024 was almost double that observed during the 1961-1990 period.

The report highlights that in 2024, heatwaves gripped a record area of the ocean, with sea surface temperatures hitting all-time highs. The decadal warming rate of Asia's sea surface was nearly twice the global average.

Sea level rise on both the Pacific and Indian Ocean sides of the continent exceeded the global average, increasing the vulnerability of low-lying coastal areas. Meanwhile, glaciers across the High-Mountain Asia region--including parts of the Himalayas and Tian Shan--continued to shrink. Of the 24 glaciers monitored, 23 suffered mass loss during 2023-2024, intensifying hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods and landslides and posing long-term threats to regional water security.

The report paints a troubling picture of climate-related disasters across Asia. Extreme rainfall events caused widespread destruction and loss of life in many countries, while tropical cyclones left a trail of devastation. In parallel, prolonged droughts triggered severe economic and agricultural losses, further compounding the humanitarian toll of climate change.

"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 added.

The report includes a case study from Nepal, demonstrating how improved early warning systems and anticipatory actions can help communities better prepare for and respond to climate variability and change. This, according to WMO, plays a key role in protecting lives and livelihoods in one of the world's most climate-vulnerable regions.

The report also states that the entire oceanic area of Asia under WMO Region II has experienced consistent surface ocean warming over the past decades, with particularly rapid increases in the northern Arabian Sea and western Pacific Ocean. Average sea surface temperatures have risen by 0.24°C per decade--double the global mean rate of 0.13°C. In 2024, most of Asia's ocean area was affected by marine heatwaves of strong, severe, or extreme intensity--the most extensive since records began in 1993. During August and September, nearly 15 million square kilometers of Asia's ocean, or roughly one-tenth of Earth's total ocean surface, experienced marine heatwaves. This is an area about the size of the Russian Federation and more than 1.5 times the size of China. The northern Indian Ocean and waters surrounding Japan, the Yellow Sea, and the East China Sea were especially impacted.

Sea-level rise in the Indian and Pacific Oceans bordering Asia outpaced global averages during the period from January 1993 to November 2024. In the Arctic, large parts of the ocean experienced significant sea ice melt, with the ice edge shifting far northward by the end of the season.

The High-Mountain Asia region, centred on the Tibetan Plateau and home to the largest volume of ice outside the polar regions, has continued to suffer. Glaciers across this region, covering an area of nearly 100,000 square kilometres, have been retreating steadily for several decades. During 2023-2024, reduced winter snowfall and extreme summer heat led to accelerated glacier mass loss, particularly in the central Himalayas and the Tian Shan range. Urumqi Glacier No.1, located in the eastern Tian Shan, recorded its most negative mass balance since observations began in 1959.