The likelihood of a very strong tropical cyclone like Typhoon Yagi is increasing due to climate change, which killed at least 179 people in Vietnam.

"So there is general scientific consensus that tropical cyclones are getting more intense, that tropical cyclones are getting wetter, that storm surges are increasing," said climate scientist Nadia Bloemendaal, a researcher at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

There is no scientific consensus yet around how climate change is impacting the number of storms in a season, although the timing of stronger storms is changing, as climate warming creates conditions conducive to storms in more months of the year.

Sea surface temperatures in the region remain high, which can contribute to the amount of fuel in a storm, or intensity. If it weren't for the oceans, the planet would be much hotter due to climate change. But in the last 40 years, the ocean has absorbed about 90% of the warming caused by heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions.

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Much of this ocean heat is contained near the water's surface. This additional heat can fuel a storm's intensity and power stronger winds. Storms like Yagi are also getting wetter.

Those rainfall totals that you see in Yagi, which are exceeding 400 millimeters, chances are that we're going to see those rainfall totals more often in the future," said Bloemendaal.

Typhoon Yagi is Asia's most powerful storm this year. The region has also been hit by other notable storms, including Typhoon Gaemi and Typhoon Shanshan.

The world has already warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial average. Burning coal, oil and gas is the main driver of climate change.

(Production: Ali Withers)