In eastern Afghanistan, in the mountainous Nuristan region: unprecedented rains fell for ten days and nights in a row. Stone and adobe houses, adapted for centuries to mountain downpours, began to collapse one after another. “These rains are getting stronger and coming earlier than before,” say local residents. For a region where people have known the same seasonal rhythm for decades, this has been a shock.
A similar situation is unfolding in Bangladesh. In July 2026, Chittagong experienced one of the heaviest downpours in its history: 412 millimeters of precipitation fell in one day – the highest figure in 42 years of observations.
From Afghanistan to Taiwan, the Asian region has been hit by an unprecedented wave of water. In India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, monsoon rains have become unpredictable and abundant simultaneously. In China, since April, over 600 rivers have exceeded critical levels – 35 percent more than usual.
Typhoon Nooul at the end of July 2026 forced the evacuation of about 900,000 people in Guangdong province, and it was the most powerful typhoon to hit China this year.
In Taiwan in June, agricultural losses from a series of downpours exceeded 330 million New Taiwan dollars, and Taipei recorded the highest monthly rainfall level in over a century of meteorological observations.
Scientists attribute the increase in precipitation to the warming atmosphere – the mechanism is simple and relentless. Warmer air can hold more water vapor: for every degree Celsius, it accumulates about 7 percent more moisture. When rain begins, it falls more intensely and often for a shorter duration.
According to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, rising temperatures increase the threat of flooding in the monsoon regions of South, Southeast, and East Asia, and also accelerate the melting of glaciers in the Hindu Kush and Himalayas. Research by the international initiative World Weather Attribution shows that extreme precipitation from cyclones in Southeast Asia has been intensifying for several decades. According to 2025 data, almost half of the seasonal rainfall in South Asia now falls within 20–30 hours, sharply increasing the risk of floods and landslides.
The situation is exacerbated by consecutive storms. In southern China, Typhoon Maysak in July flooded low-lying areas and created conditions where hundreds of snakes escaped from farms and ended up in the flooded areas. In Japan and Vietnam, heavy rains caused dangerous landslides. South Korea experiences alternating heatwaves and floods, creating recurrent stress for the population. Forecasts for the remainder of the summer of 2026 are alarming: northern China, including Beijing, may receive 20–50 percent more rainfall than usual, and the number of typhoons affecting the country is expected to be above average.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, coordinating aid to those affected across the Asian region, emphasizes the obvious: these events are not a mathematical abstraction, but real humanitarian consequences of climate change. Hossam Faisal, head of the organization's delegation in Afghanistan, calls on governments to invest resources not only in responding to disasters but also in preventive measures: early warning of danger, strengthening drainage and road protection, and preparing the population before the disaster strikes. The expected El Niño warming further underscores the urgency of such actions.
Human settlements, adapted for centuries to a specific rhythm and intensity of rainfall, are now facing a new and merciless reality. Houses built for one precipitation regime, roads drawn under different climatic conditions, crops calculated for familiar timings, even healthcare systems – everything proves unprepared for downpours that are not just stronger, but fundamentally different in their nature and periodicity.
Investments in early warning, infrastructure reinforcement, and direct support for local communities can significantly reduce the number of victims during future extreme precipitation events. But this requires acting now, before the window of opportunity closes.
