As 2025 ends, a review of this year’s data shows the devastating human toll of extreme weather events. As many as 2,760 fatalities were reported nationwide due to lightning, thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, floods, heat waves, landslides and cold waves.
According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 410 deaths linked to extreme weather events. Of these, 79 deaths were caused by heavy rainfall and flooding.
Madhya Pradesh followed, reporting 350 fatalities due to lightning, thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, floods, and heat waves. Notably, 150 of these deaths resulted from heavy rainfall, cloudbursts and landslides.
Maharashtra reported over 270 fatalities, largely attributed to heavy rainfall, flooding, lightning, thunderstorms, heat waves, and hailstorms.
Several eastern and central states also suffered heavy losses. Jharkhand recorded 200 deaths, while Bihar reported 174 fatalities, largely due to lightning strikes that continue to wreak havoc year after year.
In the Himalayan region, vulnerability was quite severe. Jammu and Kashmir recorded 168 fatalities, while Himachal Pradesh reported 166 deaths, primarily due to heavy rainfall, cloudbursts, floods, and landslides, highlighting the fragility of mountain ecosystems.
HEAVY RAIN CAUSES WIDESPREAD LOSS
Focusing specifically on disasters caused by heavy rainfall, floods, cloudbursts, and landslides, the toll remains alarming. In 2025, 1,370 deaths were attributed to these events alone.
Maharashtra topped the list with 210 deaths, followed by Himachal Pradesh (160) and Jammu and Kashmir (155). Jammu and Kashmir witnessed some of the deadliest incidents in 2025, including 63 deaths in the Kishtwar cloudburst and 32 deaths in the Reasi landslide.
Heavy rainfall caused severe damage across other states as well. As many as 150 people died in Madhya Pradesh, while Uttarakhand recorded 105 deaths, including 67 people who died or went missing during a cloudburst. The tragedy underscores how steep terrain combined with sudden, intense rainfall can quickly turn deadly.
Even typically drier Rajasthan reported 74 deaths, while Punjab recorded 59 fatalities as floods swept through areas unaccustomed to such extreme conditions. These events signal a troubling shift: extreme storms are no longer confined to traditionally vulnerable regions but are impacting a far wider swath of the country.
The data from 2025 shows that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, more intense and more deadly. While lightning continues to be a major killer in the plains, floods and landslides dominate fatalities in coastal and hill states.
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Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
Jan 2, 2026
