“Cyclone Senyar marked the first cyclonic storm to form in the Strait of Malacca in 135 years.”
Cyclones Ditwah and Senyar struck simultaneously in late November, killing over 1,800 people and stranding 1.2 million across Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. Senyar was only the second documented cyclone to form in the Strait of Malacca, normally too close to the equator for storms to organize. Indonesia recorded its deadliest natural disaster since 2018 with 604 dead and 464 missing. Climate researchers confirmed that 0.2C warmer ocean waters, which would have been 1C cooler without human-caused warming, intensified the storms. Deforestation in Sumatra eliminated natural water absorption, converting heavy rain into deadly landslides.