How monsoon rains impacted South Asian countries in the 2025 season
Heavy rains have swept across several South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, leading to hundreds of fatalities. Monsoons, seasonal changes in the direction of the prevailing, or strongest, winds of a region, most often associated with the Indian Ocean, were the source of the death and destruction.
Monsoons cause wet and dry seasons throughout the tropics. Summer monsoons, between April and September, are associated with heavy rainfall, whereas winter monsoons, from October to April, are much drier and more manageable. However, the sporadic nature of monsoons is susceptible to climate change and is changing for the worse.
The BBC details this, saying, “ in the past, monsoon rains were steady and spread evenly over the four months […] rains now often fall in huge volumes within a small area in a short span of time after a prolonged dry spell.” They report, “one of the main reasons is that there is a much higher amount of moisture in the air now, from both the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea due to warmer climate.”
New Delhi Television reports India experienced the earliest onset of the monsoon season since 2009, with the first rains reaching Southwestern India in Kerala and subsequently covering the Indian mainland on May 24. They reported rains, “ covered the entire country in nine days before the usual date of July 8.”Moreover, India recorded 937.2 mm of rainfall against the normal gauge of 868.6 mm. The Indian Meteorology Department has warned regions in India, saying that the country is “expected to receive above-normal rainfall during the post-monsoon season from October to December,” which is locally known to be a dry season.
The BBC reports some parts of the northern states of India, such as Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, saw rains more than 1000 per cent above normal in just twenty-four hours. Additionally, parts of northern India and Pakistan, which are downstream from the rivers originating in the Himalayas, have seen devastating floods. One possible explanation presented by the BBC is the “bursting of overfilled glacial lakes due to rapid melting of glaciers.” Global warming has led to increased rainfall in high areas where it mostly snowed until recently.
According to UN News, monsoon rains in Pakistan have killed at least 739 people since late June, displaced thousands of people, and destroyed homes as well as crops. Authorities have declared a state of emergency in nine administrative districts.
Typhoons also encompass a major issue in Asia, specifically China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Recently, there have been three major typhoons in the area. Typhoons form during the same time as summer monsoon rains, adding to the destruction in these countries.
In September 2025, Super Typhoon Ragasa has killed at least eleven people in the Philippines and fourteen people in Taiwan. Typhoon Bualoi killed twenty-seven people in the Philippines and killed fifty-one people in Vietnam. Typhoon Matmo has killed at least thirty people. These typhoons, alongside monsoon rains and winds, have led to the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people and have caused irreversible damage to infrastructure.
It is important to note that the climate crisis and subsequent weather crises disproportionately affect the poor. According to Philip Kofi Adom, these crises pose significant threats to developing countries with fragile social, economic, and political structures. Because of this, it is important to support organizations that improve climate resilience, help cope and recover, and provide shelter and financial assistance.