Southeast Asian countries are facing severe flooding and landslides that threaten to displace people, destroy crops and threaten economic prospects.
While the La Nina weather pattern typically brings heavy rain to the region in the fourth quarter, climate change has increased storms and flash floods this year.
The ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Center has forecast a wet season in the coming months, with the “potential for higher than normal rainfall” increasing from December to February.
Last week, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) said floods, landslides and typhoons have hit Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Vietnam is no exception.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department has forecast that heavy rains will continue in the states of Johor, Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak over the next few months.
In Vietnam, heavy rains are currently falling in the area from Thua Thien Hue to Khanh Hoa. Rainfall is generally between 150-300 mm, locally over 350 mm, causing water levels to continue to rise and the risk of natural disasters such as flash floods and landslides.
Many areas in Vietnam such as the North Central, Northwest and some places in the Central Central are also experiencing an intensified cold spell, some places are very cold. From the night of December 13, the North and Thanh Hoa will be very cold, the mountainous areas will be very cold, very cold. The lowest temperature in this cold spell in Hanoi is commonly 10-13 degrees.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, Director of the Thai Institute of Hydrology and Informatics Royboon Rassameethes told Thai Public Radio that flooding in southern Thai provinces could last until the new year before the situation improves.
The monsoon season in the region usually occurs in the fourth quarter, so heavy rains later in the year are normal, said Elyssa Kaur Ludher, a visiting fellow with the Southeast Asia Climate Change Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
“However, the severity has increased as our oceans get warmer, bringing more moist air to our region as a result of climate change,” said Ms Ludher.
The current flooding situation in southern Thailand and northern Malaysia is made worse by the high population density in flood-prone areas, said Khor Yu Leng, director of consultancy Segi Enam Advisors in Singapore.
Malaysia’s palm oil exports are expected to fall, pushing palm oil futures higher earlier this week. The Rubber Authority of Thailand said massive flooding in the country has damaged about 800,000 hectares and will cost farmers $591 million as farmers will not be able to tap rubber trees for another six weeks.
In Indonesia's West Java and Banten, two of the country's most populous provinces, floods, landslides and storms displaced more than 6,000 people and damaged buildings, roads and farmland.
