Dehradun river turns rowdy: Is climate change fueling Uttarakhand rain fury?

Dehradun's Tamsa river

A terrifying deluge has battered Dehradun, leaving a trail of submerged neighbourhoods and damaged infrastructure. The overnight downpour on Monday serves as a stark reminder of the region's vulnerability to increasingly severe weather patterns.

Visuals from the aftermath are alarming. A temple and numerous houses were inundated by floodwaters. A significant section of road, approximately 100 metres long, was completely washed away. The Tamsa river turned rowdy, gushing across roadways and compounding the damage.Not a cloudburst, says IMD

While the scenes resembled the aftermath of a cloudburst, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) clarified that the rainfall did not meet the threshold. As cited by NDTV, Dr Chander Singh Tomar, Head of the India Meteorological Centre in Dehradun, explained that the city recorded 67 mm of rain per hour on Monday night.

“A cloudburst is defined as an intense downpour of 100 mm or more of rainfall within an hour. This comes under the category of an extreme, intense spell of rain,” Dr Tomar said.

He added that the phenomenon was caused by the interaction of easterly and westerly wind systems, which often triggers heavy precipitation in the region. An “orange alert” had already been issued and remains in place until September 17, 8.30 am.

Dehradun rain today: Forecast and rainfall data 



The IMD has predicted very heavy rainfall in Dehradun, Nainital and Champawat, while Chamoli, Udham Singh Nagar, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh have also been placed on alert.

IMD data shows that Uttarakhand has received 1,343.2 mm of rainfall since June 1, 22 per cent above the normal seasonal average of 1,103.2 mm. Some districts, such as Bageshwar, have recorded rainfall surpluses as high as 239 per cent.

Dr Tomar stressed that such variations are part of the normal monsoon pattern. However, the frequency of extreme weather episodes has fuelled a broader debate on climate change and its role in altering rainfall patterns.

Uttarakhand rain: Climate change debate

Offering a contrasting perspective, geologist Yaspal Sundriyal, former head of the Department of Geology at HNB Garhwal University, told NDTV that intersecting air masses were forming a “triple junction” in the atmosphere, which could be linked to climate change.

“Different air masses – cold, warm and occluded – are intersecting with each other, leading to intense weather events like heavy precipitation, thunderstorms and strong winds. This intersection can be attributed to climate change,” he said.

He further noted that black carbon from forest fires can also aggravate such events by mixing with clouds and triggering cloudbursts. Although this year saw fewer wildfires, he stressed that past patterns indicate a correlation.

Extreme events on the rise

While long-term rainfall averages may be declining, the intensity of short-duration events is increasing. Several researchers have found that while the rainfall graph has seen a downward curve, extreme rainfall events have increased. .

Such concentrated bursts, often occurring within a single day or even just a few hours, are driving flash floods and large-scale destruction across the Himalayan belt.

A fragile reminder 



The devastation in Dehradun is the latest reminder of the Himalayan region’s fragile ecology and the urgent need for resilient planning. As per reports, the intersection of natural climatic cycles with the mounting impact of climate change is intensifying the risks for communities in Uttarakhand.

For residents left picking through the wreckage of washed-away roads and inundated homes, Monday night’s deluge was more than a statistic – it was a lived crisis of survival in the face of worsening weather extremes.