Rapid Fire
State of Climate in Asia 2024 Report
- 25 Jun 2025
- 2 min read
Source: IE
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released the State of Climate in Asia 2024 report that revealed Asia warmed nearly twice as fast as the global average in 2024, marking its hottest or second-hottest year on record.
Key Findings:
- Unprecedented warming: Asia’s 2024 temperature was 1.04°C above the 1991–2020 average, with warming rates doubling since 1961–1990.
- Heatwaves: In India, extreme heat waves claimed over 450 lives, pushed temperatures to 45–50°C, and, along with storms, caused around 1,300 deaths due to lightning.
- Marine heatwaves impacted around 15 million sq km, particularly the northern Indian Ocean and seas near Japan, China.
- Tropical Cyclones: In Asia, 29 tropical cyclones struck in 2024, with the deadliest being Cyclone Yagi (Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar)
- The Indian subcontinent was hit by Cyclones Remal, Fengal, Dana and Asna.
- Glacial Retreat: Glaciers continued to lose mass, as 23 out of 24 glaciers in High Mountain Asia (Himalayas, Pamir Mountains, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush) showed decline, with Urumqi Glacier No. 1 (Tian Shan) recording its highest melt since 1959.
- WMO, headquartered in Geneva, is an intergovernmental body with 193 Member States and Territories, including India.
- It evolved from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), founded after the 1873 Vienna Congress.
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Read More: State of the Global Climate 2023: WMO |
