Climate change supercharged late typhoon season in the Philippines, highlighting the need for resilience to consecutive events

In Marambong, Pandan, Catanduanes, a Red Cross volunteer is seen talking to a person affected by the typhoons.

The 2024 typhoon season in the Philippines was unprecedented as six typhoons hit the country in just 30 days, with multiple storms active in the region simultaneously. This clustering of storms in November, a first in the basin, impacted over 13 million people, causing widespread destruction and straining resources and infrastructure.

On November 16, 2024, Super Typhoon Man-Yi made landfall in the Philippines with sustained winds of 195 km/h, concluding a month of extreme weather. It was the 24th named storm of the season and the sixth typhoon to hit the Philippines within a month. Typically, November sees only three named storms in the basin, with one reaching super typhoon status, according to historical averages.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported a record for the simultaneous occurrence of four named storms in the Pacific basin in November 2024, the most since records began in 1951. The series of storms began with Tropical Cyclone Trami in late October, followed by Super Typhoon Kong-Rey, Typhoon Xinying, Typhoon Toraji, and Super Typhoon Usagi, causing significant damage and loss of life.

The consecutive typhoons severely damaged infrastructure and led to economic losses estimated at nearly half a billion USD. The impacts of the storms highlighted the challenges of adapting to extreme weather events and the region’s vulnerability to such disasters.

Climate change has been identified as a contributing factor to the increased intensity and frequency of typhoons in the region, emphasizing the need for communities to become more resilient to extreme weather conditions. The Philippines is taking proactive steps to enhance disaster risk management and response efforts in the face of escalating climate risks.