GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

SEPTEMBER 2025

INDONESIA

Floods on Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali have killed at least six people this week and blocked off major roads in the capital, disrupting a busy travel destination. Torrential rain since late Tuesday triggered flooding across four districts of Bali, forcing the evacuation of 85 people, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement. Continuous heavy rains between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning brought down buildings in Bali’s capital Denpasar. Photograph: Dicky Bisinglasi/Reuters Flash flooding also struck East Nusa Tenggara Province’s Flores island on Monday, cutting road access and phone services in 18 villages, Abdul said in a separate statement.  “In Bali, namely in Jembrana district … two people died. And in East Nusa Tenggara, in the Nagekeo district, four people died and four are still missing,” said Suharyanto, who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name.

At least 17 people have been confirmed dead in Bali, Indonesia, after the island’s worst flooding in more than a decade.  Torrential rain last Tuesday and Wednesday triggered widespread flooding and landslides, leaving a trail of destruction. Eight victims were found in Denpasar, the island’s capital, and rescue teams continue to search for several others who remain missing.  Most deaths occurred when victims were swept away by flood water. More than 385mm of rain was recorded within a 24-hour period, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of people. The floods submerged roads and damaged bridges, severely disrupting transport across the island.  Flooding is common in Indonesia during the wet season, which typically runs from September to March. However, scientists say the climate crisis is intensifying the rainy season, bringing heavier rainfall and more frequent flash floods. Overdevelopment and widespread deforestation are believed to be worsening the impact of flooding.  Meanwhile, the Indian monsoon is in full force with devastating consequences. Half of the country is experiencing flooding, with the state of Punjab facing its worst floods since 1988. Landslides and flood waters have already killed hundreds of people across the country.  In neighboring Pakistan, more than 2 million people have been evacuated from the eastern Punjab province. Since late June, monsoon-related floods have killed more than 900 people nationwide. This year’s monsoon season began unusually early after India’s wettest May in 125 years. Traditionally, the monsoon starts in early June and lasts through to September.

ASIA

For days, farmers in the Indian state of Punjab watched the pounding monsoon rains fall and the rivers rise with mounting apprehension. By Wednesday, many woke to find their fears realized as the worst floods in more than three decades ravaged their farms and decimated their livelihoods.  Hundreds of thousands of acres of bright green rice paddies – due to be harvested imminently – as well as crops of cotton and sugar cane were left destroyed as they became fully submerged in more than five feet of muddy brown flood waters. The bodies of drowned cattle littered the ground. “The crops are ruined, and even our homes are in danger of collapsing,” said Parmpreet Singh, 52, a farmer from Ajnala in Amritsar district, Punjab. His family, including his elderly mother and two young children, were now living on the roof of their house to stay safe from the murky flood waters. “My entire livelihood depends on my seven hectares of farmland, all of which has been destroyed by flood waters,” he said, despairing that his only option left would be to sell his land and abandon farming. “I had already invested most of my money into seeds and fertilisers for the previous crop. Now everything is gone.”  While monsoon season usually brings heavy rain, the extreme levels of rainfall that fell across northern India this week caused untold damage in Punjab, resulting in flash floods and swollen rivers breaching their banks and overflowing into fields and villages. So far, 43 people have lost their lives and almost 2,000 villages in the state have been affected, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without electricity and access to clean water. The stench of rotting animal carcasses hangs over many villages.

Japan has experienced the strongest tornado in its recorded history after a devastating twister tore through Shizuoka prefecture.  Classified as a JEF3, level 3 out of 5 on Japan’s tornado intensity scale, the tornado packed wind gusts of up to 168mph last Friday, injuring 89 people and leaving a trail of destruction. The hardest hit areas included Makinohara and Yoshida, where vehicles were overturned and more than 1,200 structures were damaged. Since records began in 1961, Japan has experienced 13 level 3 tornadoes, but none have reached level 4. The tornado occurred as a result of unstable conditions from Tropical Storm Peipah, which made landfall in Japan’s Kōchi prefecture on the same day, striking near the city of Sukomo. The storm unleashed torrential rain and powerful winds, causing damage across the region. Peipah injured 24 people, damaged or destroyed more than 40 homes, and knocked out power to nearly 14,000 residents. Before the storm, authorities issued evacuation orders affecting more than 600,000 residents, urging caution against flooding and landslides. Shimokitayama, a village in Nara prefecture, recorded 80mm of rain in one hour, while in the city of Kumano 63mm of ran fell within the same timeframe.

TROPICAL

Typhoon Kajiki steadily intensified over the South China Sea last weekend into a category 2 storm with sustained wind speeds of 115mph. It made landfall near the coastal city of Vinh in Vietnam on Monday afternoon, having slightly weakened but still packing a punch with winds of up to 100mph and torrential rainfall.  Kajiki’s wind threat soon faded after landfall, but the flood risk continued into Tuesday and Wednesday as the system moved inland. Parts of central and northern Vietnam, as well as Thailand, experienced 300-400mm of rainfall. Seven people were killed in Vietnam, with floodwater damaging more than 10,000 homes. The area is also home to thousands of hectares of rice plantations, some of which have also been affected by the extreme rainfall. Power outages and flooding have also reached the capital, Hanoi, where the outer bands of the storm continued to produce heavy rainfall into Tuesday and Wednesday.

Huge clear-up operations were underway in southern China and Hong Kong on Thursday, after Super Typhoon Ragasa battered the region, causing widespread flooding and damaged roads. Ragasa, the most powerful tropical cyclone so far this year, left a trail of damage across Hong Kong, which resumed international flights on Thursday but kept kindergartens and some schools closed. In the economic hub of Guangdong province in mainland China, where more than 2 million people were evacuated ahead of the super typhoon, crews used excavators to clear thousands of toppled trees and unblock roads. Earlier, Ragasa caused deadly destruction across Taiwan, where 14 people were killed, and the Philippines, where 11 deaths were reported. As the scale of damage continued to emerge, social media videos showed residents in Macau fishing in flooded streets, using nets, bags, and a dustpan to catch fish swept away by Ragasa. The authorities had warned people to stay indoors.

Super Typhoon Ragasa pounded Taiwan, Hong Kong , and China before moving into Vietnam on Thursday night, though as a much-weakened storm.  At its peak, Ragasa had mean wind speeds of 165mph as it moved to the south of Taiwan, where it brought significant heavy rain, resulting in 17 deaths as a barrier lake burst.  The storms then moved westwards just to the south of Hong Kong, before making landfall on Wednesday in the Guangdong province of China, with mean wind speeds of 150mph – equivalent to a category 4 hurricane. This brought significant disruption as 90 people were injured in Hong Kong as the storm brought 197mm of rain across Tuesday and Wednesday, while in China, millions had to evacuate in the cities of Shenzhen, Chaozhou, Zhuhai, Dongguan, and Foshan. Meanwhile, another storm, named Bualoi, has developed across the western Pacific and is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon on Friday before moving into the southern end of the Philippines’ largest island, Luzon. Widespread flooding and landslides are possible, and as a result, schools have been shut and flights cancelled in the region. This storm will come just days after Ragasa moved to the north of the country, resulting in the death of nine people in the archipelago.