Southeast Asian countries are facing serious floods and landslides that risk for people to relocate, destroy crops and threaten economic prospects.
While La Nina weather patterns typically bring heavy rains 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 rainy season in the coming months, with "higher-than-normal rainfall" expected to increase from December to February.
Last week, the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Center) said floods, landslides and typhoons had hit Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Vietnam is no exception.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department forecasts that heavy rain will continue in the states of Johor, Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak in the next few months.
In Vietnam, the current heavy rain is falling in the area from Thua Thien Hue to Khanh Hoa. Rainfall is generally from 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 region are also experiencing a period of increased cold air, some places are severely cold. From the night of December 13, the North and Thanh Hoa will have severe cold, mountainous areas will have severe cold. The lowest temperature in this cold air mass in Hanoi is generally 10-13 degrees.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, Director of the Thai Institute of Hydrology and Informatics Royboon Rassameethes told Thai Public Radio that flooding in the southern provinces of Thailand could continue into the new year before the situation improves.
Ms. Elyssa Kaur Ludher, a visiting researcher for the Southeast Asia Climate Change Program at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said that the monsoon season in this area usually occurs in the fourth quarter, so heavy rains at the end of the year are normal.
"However, the severity has increased because our oceans are warmer, bringing more moist air to our region, which is the result of climate change," said Ludher.
Khu Yu Leng, director of consulting firm Segi Enam Advisors in Singapore, said that the current flooding situation in southern Thailand and northern Malaysia has gotten worse due to high population density in flood-prone areas.
Malaysia's palm oil exports are expected to fall, pushing up futures prices earlier this week. The Thai Rubber Agency said major floods in the country have damaged about 800,000 hectares and will cost $591 million because farmers have not been able to harvest rubber trees for another 6 weeks.
In West Java and Banten, two of the country's most populous provinces, floods, landslides and storms have displaced more than 6,000 people and damaged buildings, roads and agricultural land.
