Khairul Alam – A wave of deadly floods, landslides, typhoons and record-breaking heat is sweeping across Asia and Europe simultaneously, and meteorologists say El Niño is the common thread pushing these extremes to dangerous new levels.
From the hill districts of southeastern Bangladesh to the streets of Taipei and the sweltering cities of Western Europe, the past two weeks have delivered a stark demonstration of how disruptive a strengthening El Niño pattern can be.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that the phenomenon, which typically peaks between November and February, is expected to intensify further between July and September — a signal that the current run of disasters may not be a peak but a preview.
Bangladesh: Seven Districts Underwater
According to a July 11 report from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, seven districts — Khagrachhari, Rangamati, Bandarban, Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram, Moulvibazar and Habiganj — were flooded as of 6 p.m. Saturday, with 58 upazilas submerged.
The toll has been steep: at least 44 people have died and 39 have been injured in floods, flash floods and landslides. Roughly 267,918 families remain marooned by rising water, and the number of affected people has climbed to over 1.02 million.
The crisis traces back to July 4, when monsoon rains began battering the Chattogram region before spreading into Sylhet division’s Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts.
India: Landslides and Washed-Out Highways Across Multiple States
Heavy rain has also wreaked havoc across several Indian states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Tripura and West Bengal.
In Himachal Pradesh, intense rainfall has cut off roads, damaged bridges, uprooted trees and forced school closures in numerous areas.
A 70-year-old man was killed by falling rocks in Kullu district, while 27 connecting roads remain closed in Shimla. Rockslides have also struck the Kalka-Shimla national highway.
In Uttarakhand, 118 roads have been shut down by continuous rain. A landslide damaged roughly 100 meters of the Yamunotri national highway, and repeated rockfalls are disrupting traffic on the Gangotri highway as well.
Water levels in the Ganga, Yamuna and their tributaries are rising rapidly.
In Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, flash floods damaged numerous homes, prompting police to rescue and relocate at least 25 people to safety.
In Mizoram’s Lunglei district, rising river levels forced the evacuation of more than 80 families, while landslides have blocked national highways and other key roads, stranding tourists for days.
In Tripura, floods have damaged over 4,000 homes, with nearly 11,000 people now in shelters. West Bengal has also seen waterlogging and traffic snarls, including in Kolkata’s Salt Lake Sector Five, where commuters faced severe disruption.
India’s meteorological department has forecast further heavy rainfall across northeastern states between July 10 and 16.
Typhoon Bavi Batters Japan, Taiwan and China
Typhoon Bavi struck China’s eastern Zhejiang province Saturday night after tearing through Japan and Taiwan. More than 1.7 million people were evacuated in China ahead of the storm’s landfall.
In Taiwan, over 10,000 people were moved out of landslide-prone areas, more than 150,000 households lost power, and over 1,100 domestic and international flights were cancelled.
Taipei recorded wind speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour along with more than a meter of rainfall.
In Japan’s Okinawa, more than 24,000 households lost electricity, 345 flights were cancelled, and ferry services were suspended.
Before reaching China, the typhoon caused severe destruction in the Philippines, where floods and landslides in the country’s south killed at least 17 people and left nine missing.
More than 500,000 people were affected, and over 11,000 were forced into shelters.
Pakistan Braces for Flooding
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued nationwide warnings for floods, flash floods and landslides amid heavy monsoon rain.
The agency said continuous rainfall could trigger waterlogging and urban flooding in low-lying areas, while landslide risk has risen in mountainous regions. Local authorities have been directed to keep rescue teams and equipment on standby.
Europe Swelters Through Record Heat
Europe’s troubles have come from the opposite direction. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that this year’s June was the warmest on record for Western Europe, with average temperatures reaching 20.74 degrees Celsius — more than three degrees above the 1991-2020 baseline.
The extreme heat has been linked to thousands of deaths in France, Spain and Belgium. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute reported at least 5,120 heat-related deaths in the country this year, 4,270 of them among people over 75.
Experts point to a high-pressure system known as a “heat dome” as the driver behind the severity of this year’s heatwave.
El Niño’s Widening Footprint
The WMO says El Niño conditions have already begun and are expected to strengthen further between July and September, ahead of their typical peak later in the year.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said El Niño raises the risk of drought, heavy rainfall, intense heatwaves and abnormal ocean warming in different regions around the world. She stressed that early warning systems and forecasting play a critical role in saving lives and reducing economic losses.
Experts caution that these overlapping disasters are no longer isolated events. With El Niño compounding global warming, the risk of extreme weather is likely to persist across multiple regions in the months ahead — underscoring the need for early preparedness, effective early-warning systems and stronger international cooperation in disaster response.