Himalayan states hit by record 765 heavy rainfall events this monsoon

Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu & Kashmir have faced a record 765 very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall spells this monsoon, triggering landslides, flash floods, and widespread damage to roads, homes, and villages, and claiming dozens of lives, reported TOI.

According to IMD data, 2025 marks the highest number of such events in five years, with a week still left in the monsoon season. The tally shows a sharp rise from 401 events in 2021, 564 in 2022, 703 in 2023, and 505 in 2024, highlighting a trend of increasingly frequent and intense rainfall in the fragile Himalayan region.

“From mid-Aug, we have seen a series of low pressure systems forming in the Bay of Bengal. As these systems moved inland and interacted with western disturbances, they gave a lot of rainfall over the hilly terrain of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh," TOI quoted K S Hosalikar, former head of climate research at IMD Pune, as saying.


Experts note that steep Himalayan slopes amplify the impact of heavy rains, while growing urban settlements and road projects have increased vulnerability. Hosalikar added that this season’s rainfall has been unusually consistent, with India as a whole receiving 106–108% of normal rainfall for over two months.

A senior IMD official said two back-to-back western disturbances in late August and early September caused the maximum heavy rainfall events. “Up to Sept 19, 2025, we have already seen about 17 western disturbances, compared to the normal 13–14 during this period. The long life cycle and slow movement of these disturbances likely contributed to the heavy rains,” the official said.

G P Sharma, president of Skymet Weather Services, added, “While the number of very heavy rain events is higher than average, the real concern is the damage they cause. In Uttarakhand, human interventions such as slope disturbances, altered floodplains, and modified water routes have worsened the impact. Heavy rains now follow these altered paths, leading to severe destruction.”

(With inputs from TOI)