Tropical cyclones over the western North Pacific underwent a “regime shift” in their destructive potential in 1998, according to researchers in China.
In their study of the years 1979 to 2016, the destructiveness of the cyclones increased rapidly after 1998, rising 97% from the interval 1998–2003 to 2012–2016.
The researchers believe the shift results from the impacts of the strong La Niña weather phenomenon of 1998–2001, and the strong El Niño in 2014–2016.
Tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific have caused immense damage, disruption and loss of life. In 2013, for example, Typhoon Haiyan became the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing over 6,000 people. Haiyan also holds the joint record for strongest tropical cyclone to hit land. […]
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