Monsoon rains are wreaking havoc across large parts of India. Landslides have shut down hundreds of roads in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, a cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam submerged several hotels and homes, and landslides in 32 villages of Meghalaya forced the state's chief minister to personally review the crisis. High sea waves were seen along Mumbai's Marine Drive even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of heavy to very heavy rain continuing across the country's northern, northeastern and eastern regions over the coming days. From the hills of Uttarakhand to the Kashmir valley and the northeastern state of Meghalaya, rescue teams and district administrations worked through the weekend to move stranded residents and travellers to safety.
Landslides paralyse Uttarakhand as road closures climb from 120 to 126
Continuous rain in Uttarakhand has badly disrupted road connectivity in the hill state. Landslides triggered by heavy rain initially shut down 120 roads, including three national highways. The state's steep slopes and loose soil make it particularly prone to landslides once the monsoon sets in, and this year's spell of continuous rain has tested that vulnerability once again. A stretch of the Yamunotri National Highway was washed away, cutting off the route entirely for two days. Around 100 pilgrims were stranded on the road during this period before being rescued and brought to safety.
According to the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), continuous rain on Thursday triggered a landslide at Syanachatti in Uttarkashi district that washed away nearly 100 metres of road. Heavy debris accumulation completely blocked the highway. Rescue personnel tied a rope along an alternate route and carefully guided the stranded travellers to safety one by one.
The situation kept worsening as rain continued. The latest count shows 126 roads, including two national highways, now completely closed across the state. In Dehradun, a woman was injured when a wall collapsed, after which seven families were moved to safety as a precaution. The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said landslides following heavy rain over the past 24 hours have disrupted road connectivity across the state. Repair work is still underway to reopen the Yamunotri National Highway, which remains blocked by the Syanachatti landslide.
Cloudburst floods Pahalgam hotels and homes, no casualties reported
In Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, conditions turned dangerous on Saturday, July 12, 2026, after a cloudburst triggered a flash flood in a local stream. Several hotels and houses in the area were submerged. A cloudburst refers to an extremely intense burst of rainfall concentrated over a small area in a very short span of time, and such events are known to trigger sudden flash floods in narrow Himalayan streams and nallahs. Officials said the sudden, intense rainfall in the forest areas of Aavoora and Dehwathoo near Pahalgam, in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, was likely caused by a localised cloudburst event. The heavy rain led to a flash flood that swept through the area, submerging hotels and homes, but officials confirmed there is no report of any casualties from the incident.
Landslides hit 32 Meghalaya villages, chief minister takes charge
Meghalaya has also suffered significant damage from the monsoon rains. Heavy rainfall triggered landslides across 32 villages in the state, along with flash floods and waterlogging in several places. Given the scale of the disruption, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma reviewed the state's monsoon preparedness. He chaired a virtual meeting with deputy commissioners to assess the impact of the ongoing monsoon rains, which have hit several districts particularly hard, especially in Garo Hills and parts of Khasi Hills.
Officials said the spell of rain, which began in the first week of July, has damaged roads and infrastructure in multiple areas. Reports continue to come in of landslides, land subsidence, flash floods and local waterlogging from the 32 affected villages. With the IMD forecasting widespread rain, including heavy to very heavy showers at isolated places, until July 15, the chief minister has directed all district administrations to remain on high alert.
High tide hits Mumbai's Marine Drive as IMD flags heavy rain nationwide
Heavy to extremely heavy rain was recorded across various parts of India on Saturday, with Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh among the worst-hit states, where landslides shut down roads and disrupted daily life. IMD data showed very heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya, while heavy rain was recorded in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
On Sunday, July 12, high sea waves were seen at Mumbai's Marine Drive as the IMD had already issued warnings of heavy to extremely heavy rain for several parts of the country. The weather department forecast heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim for July 12. Heavy rain was also considered likely at isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, the Jammu and Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad region, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Odisha, Punjab and Uttarakhand.
Heavy rain likely to continue in the Northeast, West Bengal and Bihar for the next few days
The IMD said on Sunday, July 12, that heavy to very heavy rain is likely to continue across Northeast India, West Bengal and Bihar over the next two to three days. The department expects widespread rain over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands between July 12 and 16. Moderate to heavy rain is also forecast for Gangetic West Bengal, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim between July 12 and 18, for Jharkhand and Odisha between July 13 and 18, and for Bihar on July 13 and 14.
New research finds a quarter of India's monsoon rain evaporates before hitting the ground
Amid the flood and landslide reports, new research from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune has thrown up a finding that could reshape how scientists study the monsoon. The study found that nearly a quarter of the rain that falls over the northwestern Ghats during the southwest monsoon evaporates in the air before it ever reaches the ground. Notably, this is the first such figure measured through an experiment conducted in the country.
A statement on the findings said the discovery will help scientists make weather and climate models more accurate and improve understanding of the monsoon system. Because a large share of India's agriculture and drinking water supply still depends on an accurate read of the monsoon, even a single measured data point like this one is considered valuable for calibrating future forecasts. In effect, the new IITM study shows that 25% of India's monsoon rainfall turns to vapour in mid-air, a finding that should help refine the accuracy of climate forecasting models going forward.
