Super Typhoon Ragasa, the most powerful storm of 2025 so far, has devastated communities in the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and southern China. Scientists say its rapid intensification and destructive force were amplified by human-caused climate change.
Scientific Findings
ClimaMeter, a French research group, analyzed Ragasa using a rapid attribution framework that compared past climate conditions (1950–1986) with present-day trends (1987–2023). The group found that cyclones resembling Ragasa are now warmer, wetter, and slightly windier.
“Cyclones similar to Super Typhoon Ragasa are around 1°C warmer, up to 10 percent wetter, and slightly windier by up to 4 km/h in the present compared to the past,” ClimaMeter said in its Thursday release. “We interpret Super Typhoon Ragasa as an event of exceptional meteorological conditions whose characteristics can mostly be ascribed to human-driven climate change.”
The storm underwent extreme rapid intensification between September 20 and 21, strengthening by 137 kilometers per hour in just over a day.
How Today’s Cyclones Compare to the Past
| Factor | 1950–1986 (Past) | 1987–2023 (Present) | Change Observed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Baseline | +1°C | Warmer |
| Rainfall | Baseline | +10 mm/day (+10%) | Wetter |
| Wind Speed | Baseline | +4 km/h | Slightly Windier |
Impact Across the Region
In the Philippines, Ragasa caused deadly flooding and landslides, leaving at least three people dead. Taiwan recorded 17 deaths, including victims of a collapsed bridge in Hualien. In Hong Kong, authorities raised the city’s maximum storm signal, T10, for nearly 11 hours. Public transport, flights, schools, and offices were suspended as floodwaters swept through low-lying districts.
On Wednesday, Ragasa struck southern China’s Guangdong province with maximum gusts of 150 miles per hour. China’s meteorological agency labeled it the “King of Storms.” The typhoon flooded coastal towns, damaged infrastructure, and forced mass evacuations.
The U.S.-based nonprofit Climate Central linked Ragasa’s strength to unusually high sea surface temperatures in the western Pacific. Waters were 0.7 to 1.1 degrees above average along the storm’s path.
“Super Typhoon Ragasa intensified over waters made hotter by human-caused climate change,” said Daniel Gilford, a meteorologist at Climate Central. “These exceptionally warm sea surface temperatures increased the chances that Ragasa would rapidly intensify, and it did, becoming the most powerful typhoon this year.”
ClimaMeter scientist Davide Faranda, of the French National Center for Scientific Research, said Ragasa illustrates the link between emissions and extreme weather. “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 said.
Climate Risks in Asia
The storm’s impacts highlight growing risks for Asia, where rapid urbanization and heavy reliance on fossil fuels are compounding climate threats.
“Ragasa and the many other killer storms may be the norm of the future if we stick to business as usual,” said Gerry Arrances, executive director of the Centre for Energy, Ecology and Development in the Philippines. “Our region has been dubbed coal’s last bastion and is now becoming a hub for gas. These misguided policies are a death sentence to our people.”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has reported that while the number of tropical cyclones may not increase, their intensity and rainfall are expected to rise with warming seas.
At least 27 people have been confirmed dead in Taiwan and the Philippines. Thousands have been displaced across the region.
Images from Hong Kong showed restaurants along the Tseung Kwan O waterfront shattered by storm surges. In Taiwan, aerial footage captured collapsed bridges and flooded farmlands. In Macau, residents waded through chest-deep waters as power outages spread.
“Unless we assess and adapt to the risks in a new climate, the impacts of such events will continue to grow,” said Ben Clarke, a research associate in extreme weather and climate change at Imperial College London.
Scientists stress that without rapid cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, storms like Ragasa will likely intensify further. Rising ocean temperatures, which absorb over 90 percent of excess heat in the atmosphere, will continue fueling stronger typhoons across the western Pacific.
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