7 Killed in Mumbai Landslide, Lightning Kills 14 in Jharkhand, Assam Flood Toll Touches 90

In Mumbai, a landslide triggered by heavy rains killed at least seven people. Before dawn, a section of hillside collapsed onto two or three homes in a tightly packed cluster of houses in the city’s suburb of Ghatkopar, reported AP, citing officials. ABC noted that experts have long warned that rapid urbanization, construction on fragile hillsides and poor drainage have left Mumbai increasingly vulnerable to deadly monsoon-related disasters, with climate change adding to those risks by bringing heavier and more unpredictable rainfall.

At least 14 people ​in the mineral-rich state ‌of Jharkhand have been killed in lightening strikes, police said, the latest deaths linked to annual monsoon rains that have ​unleashed floods and landslides elsewhere, Reuters reported. Police said farm ​workers amid crops in open fields ⁠accounted for most of the ​10 deaths in the state's Giridih ​district. Jharkhand saw more than 200 deaths in 2025, mainly attributed to "lightning associated with ​thunderstorms", the ​India Meteorological Department said. 

This year's torrential rains brought ​intense floods in India's rugged ​northeastern ⁠state of Assam, killing nearly 90 people, while 15 died in the southern ⁠state ​of Kerala, where rains displaced ​thousands from their homes

Monsoon Deficit at 11%, Reduced Only By 1% Due to Recent Rains

Delhi, Haryana and east Rajasthan received good rains in early August, but that did little to reduce the country’s overall monsoon deficit, TOI reported. 

India's cumulative rainfall deficit fell by only 1% – from 12% on August 2 to 11% on Aug 9 – affecting agrarian states including Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. The rain came after sowing of Kharif crops had ended across almost 88% of the country's total sown area, the newspaper reported. Rice, the main kharif crop, was still reporting 4% less acreage than during the corresponding period last year.

The report noted that August rains will improve water storage in reservoirs, which is good for hydropower supply. As of August 9, 12 states had reported rainfall deficits of 20% or more.

The outlet noted that regions except central India have reported cumulative monsoon rainfall deficits despite “normal” rains in July and the first week of August. East and northeast India recorded the highest deficit of 25%, followed by south peninsular India at 17% and northwest India at 11%.

Drought Gains Ground Despite Heavy Rainfall Events, Kharif Crops Face Moisture Loss

Despite heavy rainfall in recent weeks August began with a third of the country’s land area under different categories of drought, according to the India Drought Monitor maintained by IIT Gandhinagar, DTE reported.

Scientists tracking soil moisture say that drought is likely to persist across large parts of the country over the coming month, even in regions that have already seen rain, the outlet said. The article noted that for farmers, the timing matters as August is the middle of season for Kharif crops such as rice, pulses, cotton, and oilseeds which depend on sustained soil moisture through their critical growth stages. Persistent or recurring dry spells at this point can lower yields even if the season’s total rainfall looks normal on average, the article explained. 

According to the India Drought Monitor, the most severely affected states, by share of area under drought, were Sikkim (80.8%), Arunachal Pradesh (78.3%), Andhra Pradesh (72.4%), Mizoram (68%), Goa (67.9%), and Delhi (65.2%). The least affected are Nagaland (1.3%), Gujarat (2.7#), Tripura (9.9%), and Rajasthan (10.8%).

Scientists say that the apparent contradiction between heavy rainfall and widespread drought was largely explained by how rapidly the rain is arriving, and how long the soil can retain the moisture. 

Professor Karthikeyan Lanka of IIT Bombay, told DTE that researchers are seeing an unusual “swing” in drought conditions. “A location can remain under drought for a week or two, briefly move out of drought after a rainfall event, and then slip back into drought soon after. The extent of the swing also depends on soil type, and on factors like how well it absorbs water, how well it retains what it absorbs, and how much rainfall is lost as run-off rather than soaking in,” the DTE report said. These swings are particularly visible in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, southern Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, he said. In other areas, including parts of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab and Haryana, soil moisture has not recovered for weeks at a stretch.

Rice Prices Spike Across India Due to Weak Monsoon, Tightening Supplies

Rice prices have climbed by more than 10% over the past few weeks, with traders pointing to tight paddy supplies as the market moves between crop cycles, the Hindu Businessline reported. The price rise comes as a deficient monsoon raises fresh questions over supplies of the next crop.

Higher prices have been reported mainly in premium non-basmati varieties such as Sona Masuri, Ponni and Masuri, the newspaper said. Swarna rice had risen to Rs 34 a kg ex-mill from Rs 30,  in the preceding few weeks, an increase of more than 13%,.

The price movement is taking place despite the government's estimate of record paddy production in the 2025-26 crop year. Industry representatives have instead pointed to the availability of paddy with millers and the timing of crop arrivals.

The report said rainfall could determine whether the current price pressure remains limited to the seasonal gap or extends into the next crop cycle. The monsoon is 11% below normal, and analysts said deficient rainfall had contributed to the increase in rice prices.

Government cereal-market data cited by BusinessLine showed that cereal prices increased from Rs 3,977.7 per quintal on June 15 to Rs 4,302 on August 5. The price had reached Rs 4,078 on July 16 before easing.

Global Ocean Temperatures Soared to a New Record High for July

Last month’s global average sea surface temperatures were “hotter than any other July on record”, fuelled by severe heatwaves across Western Europe and developing El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific, according to Copernicus Climate Change Service, reported Oceanographic. High ocean temperatures can cause “devastating die-offs” in lobsters, crabs, scallops, clams, oysters and other marine life, the outlet said.

The average sea surface temperatures in the non-polar regions of the ocean was the highest on record for July, at 20.96°C, surpassing the previous July record of 20.89°C, set in 2023, the report said.

El Niño Could Push 50 Million People Into Acute Hunger Before the End of 2027

According to a UN report, about 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger before the end of next year by the rapidly developing El Niño weather system.

The Guardian reported that this is in addition to the hundreds of millions of people already facing dangerous levels of hunger because of years of drought in parts of Africa and pressure on food prices from the war in Iran. 

Even if the forecast El Niño is less severe, it could push many countries over the edge, adding more than a fifth to the 225 million people in 45 countries currently facing acute food insecurity, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) warned.

Central and South America, the Caribbean and southern Africa are likely to be worst affected, a scientist said. In south and southeast Asia, rainfall is likely to be lower than usual, creating serious problems for agriculture and farmers.

Rain Batters Beijing as Typhoon Dolphin Sweeps Through China

Typhoon Dolphin, China’s strongest storm of 2026, has hit Beijing with “bouts of intense rain that flooded key roads and stranded vehicles”, reported Reuters, adding that scientists have linked the “destructive weather” to climate change. 

China’s newspaper Economic Daily reported that northwestern China’s Xinjiang has seen torrential rain in usually drought-stricken desert areas. Sun Yat-sen University professor Li Qingxiang told Southern Weekly that the “heat dome” effect will make extreme heat more frequent amid climate change,

Europe’s Power Prices Continue to Soar Amid Extreme Heatwaves

Europe’s power prices are “continuing to soar”, as extreme heat pushes up demand for cooling, while a solar eclipse reduces solar output, reported Bloomberg. The report estimated that Europe’s power output would fall by about 9.7 GW during the eclipse. In another report, Bloomberg published a warning from the UK’s national energy system operator that the country could witness a shortfall of nearly 1.8 GW. 

The New York Times reported that Europe’s fifth heatwave “is expected to sweep from the west”, with temperatures as high as 109 degrees Fahrenheit, or 43°C, predicted in Spain before moving east towards countries such as Germany over the weekend. Euronews reported that an orange heat alert is in place across 78 departments in France, with temperatures expected to exceed 40°C in some areas. 

Reuters reported that the heatwaves that have hit France in recent months could ​result in €10-15 billion in direct and indirect costs, French environment minister Monique Barbut said. Agence France-Presse reported, “France on Wednesday recorded a more than 20% shortfall in nuclear power production capacity, a record deficit caused by environmentally related outages linked to drought, extreme heat and a jellyfish invasion.”

EurActiv reported that Romania will begin shutting down its only nuclear power plant after the Danube’s flow fell to a record low this week and efforts to avert a complete shutdown failed. Reuters reported that the Rhine river in Germany has fallen to new lows, stranding cargo vessels, according to the country’s ​inland navigation agency. The Financial Times reported that European farmers are moving to the “night shift” to avoid the heat.

Africa’s Iconic Kilimanjaro and Other Snow Peaks Will Soon Lose Their Glaciers

Kilimanjaro will soon lose its glaciers, a scientist wrote in The Conversation. The report said that East Africa’s shrinking mountain glaciers on three peaks in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania could soon disappear.

The 2025 State of the Climate in Africa report estimates that the ice area on Mount Kenya, Africa's second-highest peak, has shrunk 96% over the past 115 years. The ice cap could cease to exist within three to five years, the report says.

There are glaciers on Mount Kenya, Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania and Rwenzori Mountains on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The current glacier retreat is unprecedented, outside the range of its natural variation. During the past decade, scientists recorded 40%-60% glacier area loss in East Africa. This means that as much as half of the ice melted within 10 years.