Powerful rain and floods devastate northern India as experts blame climate change

NEW DELHI (AP) — Relentless monsoon rains have unleashed some of the worst flooding and landslides in decades across northern India, killing at least 90 people and displacing hundreds of thousands in recent weeks, government officials said.

India’s Himalayan Mountain states and territories such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Punjab state, are among the worst affected. India’s capital city, New Delhi, and nearby regions have been hit by rising rivers and heavy rain. Thousands have been moved to safer ground as city officials said the Yamuna River in the city has breached danger levels.

In Punjab state, which is home to more than 30 million people and one of India’s key agricultural regions, farmers said crops and livestock have been destroyed. State government officials said at least 30 people have died and 300,000 impacted by heavy rains and floods.

Surinder Singh, a farmer in Punjab’s Kapurthala district, said his 10 acres (4 hectares) of farmland has been underwater since Aug. 11 in one of the areas that has been hardest hit by flooding.

“We have lost paddy, maize, and wheat crops worth over 700,000 rupees ($8,400). Children had to be moved to safer villages. The government visits, but we have received little help so far,” he said.

Climate change is likely a key reason for the monsoon’s unpredictability, which has led to the heavy rains in August and these conditions are expected to persist for the next few weeks, according to experts.

The South Asian region, which is among the world’s most densely populated and also among the most vulnerable to climate impacts, will need to better prepare for rain-related disasters as their frequency and intensity increase, experts said.

In neighboring Pakistan, officials said more than 1 million people have been evacuated from flood-prone regions and 2.45 million people have experienced monsoon flooding in recent months.

Earlier this week, an eight-hour traffic jam paralyzed a highway between New Delhi and the neighboring city, Gurugram, after floodwaters submerged roads. Officials said annual average rainfall levels have already been crossed and residents have moved away from the Yamuna River, which runs through New Delhi.

“We have moved to these tents for now as our homes have been submerged in water. This is just like the 2023 floods,” said Rekha Chaturvedi, 55, of the Nigambodh Ghat area.

In India’s Himalayan Mountain regions, large-scale destruction has resulted from heavy rains, floods and cloudbursts, which are intense rains occurring over a small area.

Four people were killed and hundreds were left missing after a village in Uttarakhand state was hit by landslides and floods in August. Overflowing glacial lakes in July damaged several hydropower dams and destroyed a key bridge connecting neighboring Nepal to China.

“This is the second time this month our fields have been flooded,” said Fayaz Ahmad, a 70-year-old farmer living on the outskirts of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir. “We saw extreme heat this year, and now water keeps entering our homes and farms after just a few days of rain. Something has changed. It was never like this in my youth.”

Experts say human-caused climate change is intensifying South Asia’s monsoons, which traditionally run from June to September and again from October to December. The rains, once predictable, now arrive in erratic bursts that dump extreme amounts of water in short periods, followed by dry spells.

“We are living in a warmer world, nearly 1.5 degrees hotter than pre-industrial times,” said Anjal Prakash, author of several United Nations climate reports and professor at Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business. “The intensity and frequency of such extreme rainfall events will only increase. This is the new normal.”

Rapid urbanization, deforestation, and poorly planned infrastructure have worsened flooding, Prakash said.

“Natural drainage systems have been destroyed. Rivers are mismanaged. When intense rainfall coincides with such vulnerabilities, disasters like these become inevitable," Prakash said.

Akshay Deoras, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, United Kingdom, said rainfall extremes can occur because of local weather conditions or large-scale weather conditions, but climate change is just intensifying them.

“If the rainfall is uniformly distributed, you will not get that much of an impact," said Deoras, who has tracked Indian weather systems for more than a decade. "But if that rainfall happens, let’s say in a couple of hours or even, for example, the entire month’s rainfall happens in a few days, that is just going to create problems. And that’s exactly what we are seeing.”

Climate experts said smart planning and rebuilding in climate-vulnerable regions must include accounting for multiple risks, installing early warning systems, preparing local communities for disasters and, when needed, relocating infrastructure.

In 2024 alone, there were 167 disasters in Asia, which was the most of any continent, according to the Emergency Events Database maintained by the University of Louvain, Belgium. The storms, floods, heat waves and earthquakes led to losses of over $32 billion, the researchers found.

Countries need to do more to plan for such events in the future, as their frequency will only increase, Deoras said.

“Right now, in India, there is no clear vision as to how things could be handled in the future,” he said.

Arasu reported from Bengaluru, India. Dar Yasin in Srinagar, India-administered Kashmir, contributed to this report.

Follow Sibi Arasu on X at @sibi123.

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FILE - A family wades through flood waters to a rescue boat after levels in the Sutlej river rose following release of water from overflowing dams in neighboring India, in Kasur district, Pakistan, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)

FILE - Residents run across a bridge over the flooding Beas River following incessant rains in Kullu, in northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Aqil Khan, File)

FILE - Members of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rescue students stranded in a hostel due to flooding caused by heavy rains in Jammu, India, Aug. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)

FILE - India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel carry a dead body on a stretcher during rescue operations after Thursday's flash floods in Chositi village, Kishtwar district, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Aug. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)

FILE - Household goods are strewn around next to buildings damaged by flash floods in Chositi village, Kishtwar district, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't scoring the way he usually does, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are still winning the way they normally do.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, averaged 31.1 points during the regular season. In the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, he is averaging 20 points and taking only 14 shots per game.

Oklahoma City has still won the first two games by an average of 18 points. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points, and the defending champion Thunder beat the Lakers 125-107 on Thursday night.

Ajay Mitchell, starting in place of injured Jalen Williams, is averaging 19 points on 50% shooting in the series for Oklahoma City.

“I think the coaching staff does a good job at just getting all of us ready,” said Mitchell, a second-year guard. "And we have a lot of competitors. Like, everyone’s a competitor on our team. So every time the lights are bright, everyone’s ready to go.”

Holmgren is the leading scorer for the Thunder in the best-of-seven series with 23 points per game. The 2026 All-Star also is averaging 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Jared McCain, a midseason acquisition from the Philadelphia 76ers, barely played in the first round against Phoenix but has averaged 15 points and made 8 of 10 3-pointers in the series.

“He goes in there, stays in character, stays aggressive," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He’s going to shoot the next shot. He makes the right plays, plays inside the team. He competes defensively, has had good defensive possessions for us. And he was huge tonight. You need that in a playoff series.”

The Lakers again were without scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring. They also were missing forward Jarred Vanderbilt, the reserve forward who dislocated the pinkie on his right hand during the second quarter of Game 1. The Lakers had three players finish with five fouls, limiting their aggressiveness late in the game.

Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves, who struggled with his shot in Game 1, scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting in Game 2. LeBron James, coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23.

With the Lakers up 63-61 early in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander got tied up with Reaves and was called for his fourth foul. Upon review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 1 for Gilgeous-Alexander's follow through. Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul as the situation was being sorted out.

Gilgeous-Alexander left the game with the Lakers up 65-61, but the Thunder rallied and took control without him. On a fast break, Holmgren found a trailing Jaylin Williams, who hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. His free throw put the Thunder up 85-74.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers 32-15 while Gilgeous-Alexander was out in the third quarter to take a 93-80 lead into the fourth.

“It was amazing," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They strung together stops, they’re playing the right way offensively and things are going their way. Full confidence in those guys. They know how to win basketball games. And we've proven that. They’ve proven that no matter who’s on the floor, they know how to get the job done. And they just did it again tonight."

The Lakers cut Oklahoma City's lead to five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder pulled away again.

Los Angeles will host Game 3 on Saturday.

“We just stuck with it,” Holmgren said. “It’s the game of basketball. It’s not always going to go your way. It’s about how you respond. And this team has proven many times that we know how to respond. And we did so tonight.”

This story has been corrected to show that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 20, not 19, points per game against the Lakers.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves (15) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, front, works for a shot as Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves, rear, defends in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James stands on the court in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past Los Angeles Lakers' Deandre Ayton (5) and LeBron James, rear, in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) works to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)