More than 1,300 people have lost their lives and hundreds remain missing after a series of devastating cyclonic storms and floods swept through Southeast Asia in late November 2025. Regional experts are issuing a stark warning: without urgent cuts to fossil-fuel emissions and serious investment in resilience, such catastrophes may become commonplace.
A Region Reeling from Unprecedented Storms
The disaster unfolded as three powerful cyclonic systems struck the region in quick succession. Typhoon Koto (Verbena) formed on 23 November, moving from the Philippines towards Vietnam. This was followed by Cyclone Senyar, a rare storm that developed in the narrow Strait of Malacca and battered Indonesia, Malaysia, and southern Thailand. Finally, Tropical Cyclone Ditwah crossed Sri Lanka before moving along India's south-eastern coast.
Meteorologist Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather explained the meteorological cause. "The seas around the region were unusually warm and primed for 'cyclogenesis'," he stated, noting that sea-surface temperatures of 29-30°C provided extra fuel for the storms. The rapid succession of systems was alarming. "Normally, there is a gap of 15 to 20 days between tropical storms... The gap of these cycles was very less. We have not seen such frequent effects," Palawat added.
Human Actions Magnify Natural Disaster
While the storms were a natural phenomenon, analysts say human activity dramatically worsened their impact, creating "compound disasters." The death toll is stark: over 750 in Indonesia, 400 in Sri Lanka, 200 in Thailand, and 3 in Malaysia, with more than 800 people still unaccounted for. Millions have been affected, with villages isolated after infrastructure was destroyed.
In Indonesia's Aceh province, relentless rain on 26 November triggered floods and landslides that submerged towns. Farwiza Farhan, chairperson of Forest, Nature & Environment Aceh (HAkA), was unequivocal about the cause. "What we are seeing now... is not just the result of extreme weather. It is a disaster magnified by greed," she said. "For decades, illegal logging and unauthorised land-clearing... has stripped the hills of their natural sponge. When cyclone-driven downpours came, there was nothing left to absorb the water."
In Sri Lanka, climate activist Melani Gunathilaka highlighted similar issues. "Decades of deforestation in the central highlands and large development projects that ignored the island’s steep terrain have made landslides far more dangerous," she explained, noting that the true human toll is still unknown with bodies likely still buried. The country's President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, called the floods "the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history."
A Dire Warning for the Future
Scientists state the physical drivers are clear. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture—about 7% more water vapour per degree Celsius of warming—leading to more intense rainfall. Hotter oceans supercharge tropical cyclones with extra energy.
Matt Sechovsky of BMI research firm noted the impact was driven by a concentration of natural climate phenomena, exacerbated by both climate change and human activity—from building on floodplains to deforestation.
The consensus from regional experts is a sobering call to action. They warn that without rapid cuts in fossil-fuel emissions and serious investment in resilience—from restoring forests and wetlands to enforcing planning rules and strengthening early-warning systems—disasters of this scale will cease to be rare tragedies and become a devastatingly regular feature of life in the region and beyond.
