Super Typhoon Ragasa, the most powerful storm of 2025, has been intensified by human-made climate change, according to a new study. The typhoon hit the northern Philippines and Taiwan on Monday, resulting in at least 25 fatalities, before moving towards Hong Kong and southern China, where it brought torrential rains, destructive winds, and widespread flooding, reports 24brussels.
The storm reached its peak intensity, comparable to a Category 5 hurricane, causing severe damage across the affected areas. As residents faced devastation from extensive rainfall and flooding, emergency services worked to assess casualties and provide relief to those impacted.
Research conducted by ClimateMeter revealed that cyclones similar to Ragasa are now about 1°C warmer, up to 10% wetter, and roughly 4% windier compared to historical data from 1950 to 1986. This comparison highlights significant changes in atmospheric conditions that are exacerbating the severity of storms like Ragasa.
Davide Faranda from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) emphasized the link between greenhouse gas emissions and the increasing ferocity of storms, stating, “The devastating impacts of Ragasa show that greenhouse gas emissions do far more than warm the world — they make typhoons wetter, stronger, and more violent.” He warned that without rapid reductions in emissions, regions like the Philippines, Taiwan, and China could experience even more catastrophic storms.
Impacts of Rising Ocean Temperatures
While tropical cyclones are typically frequent, their intensity has surged in recent decades, a trend many scientists attribute to human-induced climate change. Specifically, Ragasa intensified over sea surface temperatures that were between 0.7 to 1.1°C above average, conditions made increasingly likely by climate change.
Data indicates a notable rise in the occurrence of Category 4 and 5 storms in the western North Pacific since the 1970s, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirming that climate change will likely lead to more intense tropical Super Typhoons in the region. However, the overall frequency of such storms may remain unchanged.
As the global community grapples with the implications of climate change, the devastation wrought by Super Typhoon Ragasa serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for coordinated climate action and disaster preparedness.