It has been suggested that 2025 Sumatra floods and landslides and 2025 Southeast Asia floods and landslides be merged into this article. ( Discuss ) Proposed since December 2025. |
| Senyar making landfall on Sumatra on 26 November | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 25 November 2025 |
| Dissipated | 30 November 2025 |
| Cyclonic storm | |
| 3-minute sustained (IMD) | |
| Highest winds | 75 km/h (45 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 998 hPa (mbar);29.47 inHg |
| Tropical storm | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 85 km/h (50 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 996 hPa (mbar);29.41 inHg |
| Tropical depression | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 55 km/h (35 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 1006 hPa (mbar);29.71 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 1,330–2,101+ |
| Injuries | 7,702+ |
| Missing | 206+ |
| Damage | ≥$19.8 billion (2025 USD) |
| Areas affected |
|
Part of the 2025 North Indian Ocean cyclone and Pacific typhoon seasons | |
Cyclonic Storm Senyar,also referred to as Tropical Depression 34W over the northwest Pacific Ocean,was a weak but exceptionally rare and catastrophic tropical cyclone that brought heavy rains,causing widespread flooding and landslides to the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra in late November 2025. The thirteenth tropical depression and third cyclone of the 2025 North Indian Ocean cyclone season,Senyar developed over the Strait of Malacca from a low-pressure area that formed on 22 November. The disturbance headed westwards and intensified into a depression and then a deep depression on 25 November. It then further intensified into a cyclonic storm before making landfall on northern Sumatra near midnight on 26 November,and then paralleled the Sumatran coast as it weakened and made a second landfall in Peninsular Malaysia. It was the second tropical cyclone documented in the Strait of Malacca after Vamei in 2001,and the first to form at the area since the beginning of reliable records.
Senyar's remnants moved over Malaysia and entered the South China Sea on 28 November,after which the Japan Meteorological Agency began tracking it. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center also resumed advisories,stating that it had moved into the Western Pacific basin and regenerated,intensifying into a tropical depression before dissipating on 30 November.
Senyar caused heavy flooding and landslides across central and southern Thailand (especially Songkhla province),Peninsular Malaysia,and Sumatra,Indonesia,killing at least 1,300 people in the three countries and resulting in US$19.8 billion in damages. At least 1,030 deaths,over 7,600 injuries,and 206 missing persons were reported in Indonesia,all of them in North Sumatra,West Sumatra and Aceh provinces. Thailand also recorded at least 297 fatalities and 102 injuries across 14 provinces,including 229 deaths in Songkhla alone,although local sources claim a much higher figure. Malaysia reported 3 deaths.
On 20 November, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) began to track an upper-air circulation in the Strait of Malacca. [1] On 22 November, a low-pressure area formed as a result of the circulation. [2] On 25 November, the low-pressure area intensified into a depression as it moved westwards. [3] The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) also issued a tropical cyclone formation alert and designated the system as Tropical Cyclone 04B as it exhibited a partially exposed but well-defined low-level circulation area. [4] Later that day, the depression intensified into a deep depression as convection developed and persisted. However, further development was limited due to its proximity to land. [5] [6]
The system made landfall on northeastern Sumatra near midnight and began deteriorating due to increasing wind shear. [7] Early on 26 November, the IMD named the system Senyar. [8] The system tracked along the coast of Sumatra and weakened, with a small low-level circulation center. [9] On 27 November, Senyar weakened into a deep depression as it moved east. [10] It then further weakened into a depression after re-emerging over the Strait of Malacca later that day. [11] The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) mentioned it as a tropical depression after it crossed 100ºE, [12] before making a second landfall in Selangor, moving over peninsular Malaysia, [13] and the IMD issued its final advisory on the system as it weakened into a low-pressure area six hours later. [14] Senyar continued eastward slowly through that evening, maintaining tropical depression intensity. [15]
The JMA continued tracking Senyar as a tropical depression on 28 November as it emerged into the South China Sea while being steered northeastward. [16] The JTWC also began monitoring it again as 34W, stating that it was a regeneration of Senyar. [17]
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The IMD issued a rainfall warning for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh from 25 November to 1 December. Wind warnings for gusts of 55–75 km/h (34–47 mph) were also issued for coastal areas of the Andaman Sea and southeastern Bay of Bengal. The IMD said that the depression was expected to bring minor impacts to these areas, such as slight damage to homes and horticulture. [18]
The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency issued a tropical storm warning on 26 November, followed by the Malaysian Meteorological Department on 27 November. [19] [20]
| Country | Deaths | Injuries | Missing | Damage (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 297–1,068 | 102 | Unknown | >$15.7 billion |
| Malaysia | 3 | None | None | Unknown |
| Indonesia | 1,030 | 7,600 | 206 | >$4.13 billion |
| Total | 1,330–2,101 | 7,702 | 206 | >$19.8 billion |
Flooding in Thailand affected 3.6 million people in 1.2 million homes, and caused flooding in 20 provinces, mainly in the country's south. [21] [22] At least 297 deaths were officially confirmed in the country, including 229 in Songkhla province, 19 in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, 10 in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, 9 in Pattani, 5 each in Yala and Satun provinces, 4 each in Narathiwat and Phatthalung provinces, 3 each in Sing Buri, Suphan Buri province and Trang provinces, and 1 each in Phitsanulok, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani provinces. [23] [24] [25] [22] An additional 102 others were injured. [26] Surachate Hakparn, former deputy commissioner-general of the Royal Thai Police, claimed that the death toll in Songkhla province was closer to 550, and criticized the Thai government, under Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, for underreporting fatalities, [27] while rescue workers reported up to 1,000 fatalities in Songkhla. [28] On 2 December, in response to the alleged lack of transparency from the Thai government about the true number of casualties, Surachate created a website with the goal of compensating families of unrecorded fatalities, pressure the Thai government to improve its response to disasters and providing more accurate fatality figures, particularly for Muslim deaths that may have went unreported due to being immediately buried by relatives for religious reasons, [29] as one-third of Songkhla's population are Muslims. [30] On 6 December, a funeral director in Hat Yai reported that the bodies of around 700 flood victims were being prepared for cremation. [31]
The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce estimate the economic loss of the flooding in Southern Thailand to be 40 billion baht (US$1.24 billion). [32] However, the government estimated the loss to be over 500 billion baht (US$15.7 billion). [33] As of 28 November, flooding in Songkhla province destroyed two homes and damaged 1,074 others, along with 228 roads, 12 bridges, 41 schools and 38 temples. [34] The worst effects of the flooding were seen in Hat Yai, due to its geography and limited water drainage. The city recorded its heaviest rainfall in at least 300 years; 335 millimetres (13.2 in) in a single day on 21 November 2025. [35] Floodwaters there reached up to 2 m (6.6 ft) deep, stranding 7,000 foreign tourists as a result. [36] [37] [38]
Flooding also occurred in Peninsular Malaysia, killing three people, [26] including two in Kelantan [39] [40] and forcing over 34,000 others to evacuate across the country. [41]
As Senyar traversed through the Strait of Malacca and intensified into a cyclonic storm, it also brought flooding to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Over 3.3 million people were affected in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh, 1.1 million of which were displaced. [42] [43] At least 1,030 people were killed, 7,600 were injured and 206 were missing in the three provinces. [44] At least 158,000 houses were damaged, along with 405 bridges, 219 health facilities, 591 educational facilities, 434 place of worships, 290 offices and buildings, and 1,200 public facilities. [45] Economic losses related to flooding in Sumatra were estimated to be over 68.7 trillion rupiah (US$4.13 billion), [46] possibly making it the costliest disaster in post-independence Indonesia, surpassing the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake when not accounting for inflation. [47] The Head of the Indonesian House of Representatives' Commission VIII, focusing in matters including disaster management, argued that the true figure may exceed 200 trillion rupiah (US$12 billion). [48] Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Yandri Susanto stated that hundreds of villages in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra were devastated, with many being completely destroyed. [49]
The cyclonic storm also affects the Sumatran wildlife, particularly the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan. It was estimated that between 6.2% to 10.5% out of the fewer than 800 remaining orangutans were killed by the floods and landslides, making it an extinction-level disturbance for the species, especially considering the orangutans' nature to only reproduce every 6-9 years. [50]
As of 15 December, 431 people were killed, 1,958 were injured [43] and 32 were left missing in Aceh, [44] including 48 deaths in North Aceh Regency, [51] 22 in Bener Meriah Regency, 20 in Central Aceh Regency, 16 in Pidie Jaya Regency, 11 each in Bireuen and Southeast Aceh Regency and 12 elsewhere, while 526,098 others were affected and 292,806 were displaced. [52] An estimated 46,000 homes in the province were damaged. [53] Some areas of the province lost power after a transmission tower in Bireuen Regency was swept away by floodwaters. [54] Landslides buried roads and hindered access to seven regencies of the province. [55]
As of 15 December, 355 people were killed and 84 were missing, [44] including 88 deaths and 109 missing in Central Tapanuli Regency, [56] 81 deaths in South Tapanuli Regency, 53 in Sibolga, 34 in North Tapanuli Regency, 17 in Deli Serdang Regency, 12 in Medan, 11 in Langkat Regency, 9 in Humbang Hasundutan Regency, 2 in Pakpak Bharat Regency and 1 each in Nias and Padangsidimpuan. [57] In South Tapanuli Regency, 19 died in Batang Toru District [58] 5 in Angkola Sangkunur District [59] and 2 more in Sipirok and West Angkola Districts. [60] One South Tapanuli resident reported that "dozens" of bodies of flood victims were stored at a makeshift morgue in a community center. [61] A landslide in Angkola Sangkunur District left 20 people missing in two villages. [59] An additional 113 people were injured in the regency. [58] In Central Tapanuli, 507 people were injured [62] and 1,902 houses sustained flood damage in nine sub-districts. [63] In North Tapanuli Regency, flooding and landslides affected 53 communities [64] and left 39 people missing, including 29 in the village of Sibalanga in Adian Koting District [65] and 10 more in Parmonangan District. [66] The Tarutung-Sibolga road was submerged beneath 3 m (9.8 ft) deep floodwaters and blocked by several landslides. [67] Floodwaters in Langkat Regency reached up to 1.6 m (5.2 ft) in some areas, [68] displacing 3,000 families. [60]
As of 15 December, 244 people were killed and 90 were missing in West Sumatra, [44] including 171 fatalities and 82 missing in Agam Regency, [69] 30 deaths in Padang Panjang, [70] 27 in Padang Pariaman Regency, [71] 10 in Padang, [72] 2 in Tanah Datar Regency and 1 each in Solok [73] and West Pasaman Regency. [74] In addition, 112 others were injured and 213 were missing in the province. [75]
Dozens of fishermen from Riau reportedly went missing, with six bodies found and several more being found stranded and later rescued. Many fishermen lost their nets and equipment due to high waves attributed to the cyclone, resulting in financial losses in the tens of millions of rupiah. [76]
Songkhla province was declared a disaster zone (an equivalent to a state of emergency). [77] The Royal Thai Navy deployed 14 boats as well as the aircraft carrier HTMS Chakri Naruebet in relief operations. [78] [79] The floods also caused some events of the upcoming 2025 SEA Games originally to be held in Songkhla to be moved to Bangkok and Chonburi. [80] The government distributed relief worth 4.93 billion baht (US$153 million) to over 500,000 families that were affected by flooding. [81]
As of 29 November 2025, the Indonesian government had not recognized the disaster as a national emergency, though it continued to provide assistance to the affected regions. [82] The governments of the three affected provinces each declared a 14 day state of emergency; from November 25 to December 8 for West Sumatra, from November 27 to December 10 for North Sumatra, and from November 28 to December 11 for Aceh. [83] State-owned power company Perusahaan Listrik Negara airlifted its crew to restore Aceh's electricity grid. [84]
The Ministry of Social Affairs sent 2.6 billion rupiah (US$156,200) worth of aid to flood and landslide victims in Sumatra, including basic necessities, family supplies, emergency housing, and public kitchen services. [85] Aircraft belonging to the Indonesian Air Force, including the newly acquired Airbus A-400, were deployed to three provinces to assist with aid distribution. [86] [87] Large-scale cloud seeding operations were also announced in the affected areas to help reduce rainfall. [88] On 30 November, five Indonesian Navy ships were deployed to distribute aid and assist in rescue operations. [89] Elon Musk said that free Starlink services would be provided to northern Sumatra until the end of 2025. [90] On 4 December, the Indonesian government revoked permits of 20 companies linked to environmental damage suspected of worsening the flood impact. [91] Head of the Indonesian House of Representatives' Commission IV, responsible for matters including forestry, announced their plan to build a Land Use Conversion Task Force in response to the disaster. [92] . Philanthropist Saad Kassis-Mohamed mobilized emergency relief for communities affected by flooding in northern Sumatra following Cyclone Senyar, including support for temporary shelter, food supplies and basic services for displaced families. [93] [94] [95] .