Changing weather patterns in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region are causing record high temperatures in Japan, the Korean peninsula, and the Philippines, while storms have flooded some areas, and parts of Australia have seen more snow than in four decades.
Hottest summers ever in Japan and Korea
In Japan, after the hottest summers ever in 2023 and 2024, and the hottest June in 2025, average July temperatures hit a record high for the third consecutive year, according to meteorologists, a third of whom across the country have reported highs above 35°C.
It’s a similar situation in South Korea, which has seen an unprecedented 22 “tropical nights” in a row (when temperatures fail to drop below 25°C). What’s more, August, typically the hottest month of the year in the two East Asian nations, has only just begun, with forecasts predicting the heat will go on until September, leading some experts to express concerns about the health impacts on vulnerable people.
We just witnessed Japan's hottest day in recorded history again: 41.8°C (107.2°F).
— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) August 5, 2025
The longevity and intensity of this historic heatwave is hard to comprehend. pic.twitter.com/NldvGB4Kvt
40 cm of snow in Australia
Further south in Australia, where summers have been sweltering in recent years, plagues of mice have been on the rampage, and wildfires have raged, now in the southern hemisphere winter, large parts of the east coast have experienced twice the normal August rainfall, with 100 to 200 mm in just the last five days.
Furthermore, as humidity from the Tasman Sea has met colder air flows on the east of the nation, the Bureau of Meteorology says 40 cm of snow has fallen over high ground in New South Wales, more than since the mid-1980s. New South Wales emergency services said downed power lines have left tens of thousands without power and 100 vehicles had to be abandoned.
🇦🇺 Cities in Australia are covered in snow.
— Маrina Wolf (@volkova_ma57183) August 3, 2025
A blanket of up to 40 centimeters, like the one we're seeing in New South Wales now, hasn't been seen here since the 80s. pic.twitter.com/6wfB5Tc0zM
Philippine island-hopping like a “brutal castaway experience”
Travel Tomorrow spoke to Nick Ullah, a Brit who has been travelling with his partner in the Philippines and Bali. His first two days in Manila were affected by the tail of a severe tropical storm that saw “streets flooded by constant rain and emergency vehicles driving around with ribs (rigid inflatable boats) on the top to rescue stranded people.”
He then had brilliant sunshine in Boracay and in El Nido, “couldn’t escape the heat.” He described using the rooftop pool as “like getting in a hot tub.” Island hopping to Coron was like a “brutal Castaway experience” during which he was sunburned badly despite wearing “sunblock 90 SPF.”
Thousands evacuated as torrential rains unleash flooding chaos in Manila #Philippines#Flood #Asia #Manila #Storm #Flashflood #Rain #Climate #Weather #Viral pic.twitter.com/cZD2RPiBMW
— Earth42morrow (@Earth42morrow) July 22, 2025
News.com.au reported last year that the changes to usual weather patterns were already having an effect on the region’s tourism sector as visitors adjust how they plan their travel, booking excursions closer to the intended date, as well as having to pay out more, since some small tour operators have been forced to pass on higher insurance costs to mitigate possible cancellations and changes to itineraries.
Brett Mitchell, Australian managing director at Intrepid Travel, told the outlet the firm has “highlighted climate change as one of our most pressing risks as a business … We’re seeing it all over the world and also here in Australia.”
