India's 2026 monsoon causes severe floods despite drought

India is confronting a transformed and increasingly perilous monsoon season in 2026, characterized by severe, localized flooding amid a nationwide rainfall deficit. The season has exposed critical vulnerabilities in urban infrastructure and agricultural planning as climate change fundamentally alters long-standing weather patterns.

The southwest monsoon, which arrived late this year due to a strengthening El Niño weather pattern in the Pacific, delivered India's fifth-driest June since records began in 1901, with rainfall nearly 40 percent below normal. However, the onset of an active phase in late June and early July triggered extreme rainfall events, particularly along the west coast. Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra have borne the brunt, with deadly consequences. At least 13 people have died in rain-related incidents across Maharashtra, including six in building collapses in Mumbai's eastern suburbs. The city experienced severe disruption, with waterlogged roads paralyzing transport, schools closing, and flight operations being delayed or cancelled.

Scientific experts explain that the dynamics of the monsoon have shifted. While El Niño continues to influence the timing and...