Bangladesh has been hit by sudden floods, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in nine districts cut off from water and electricity.
The affected districts include Feni, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Comilla, Noakhali, Chittagong, Laksmipur, and Khagrachhari.
Climate experts, however, do not consider this flood entirely "sudden." They had already warned that this year's rainfall could be higher than usual, leading to potential flooding.
The flood situation in India has also taken a dire turn. The India Meteorological Department has issued the second-highest "orange alert" for Tripura as conditions continue to worsen.
India's National Hydro Power Company (NHPC) reported on Tuesday that a landslide, caused by water pressure, has damaged a power-generating dam on the Teesta River in Sikkim.
This flooding has become a significant humanitarian disaster for both countries. While India had been evacuating residents from flood-prone areas, the flooding in Bangladesh struck suddenly, leaving locals with little time to prepare.
During the 28th meeting of the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum in Pune, India, on April 29, top meteorologists from the region predicted an above-average monsoon season (June-September) across South Asia, including Bangladesh.
At the conference, experts noted that as monsoon rains would be heavy in Bangladesh, the upstream Indian states were also likely to experience increased rainfall. This raised concerns about a worsening flood situation in Bangladesh during the monsoon season.
Following the technical session on the second day of the conference, a statement was released outlining the expected weather conditions for the monsoon season.
Experts indicated that "El Niño" had weakened and "La Niña" had become active, signalling the onset of heavy rains in the region.
The statement also highlighted that the monsoon would be stronger in most South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, with increased rainfall expected in traditionally heatwave-affected areas. However, Sylhet and Chittagong were expected to experience less rainfall this year.
Meteorologists explained that while El Niño creates a dry streak from the Pacific Ocean to the Bay of Bengal, La Niña produces a warm streak, increasing water vapour in the air and leading to heavier rainfall in various parts of the world.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department's Meteorologist Bajlur Rashid, who attended the conference, mentioned at the time: "The main topic of discussion was the upcoming monsoon season. Meteorologists concluded that the monsoon rains would be heavy this year."
He added that there was a likelihood of increased rainfall in Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, and other eastern Indian states, which would flow into Bangladesh and contribute to potential flooding.
In early July, floods already affected the north-eastern, northern, and south-eastern regions of Bangladesh, trapping hundreds of thousands of people in 15 districts. Despite these early warnings, the government appeared more focused on suppressing the quota reform movement in government jobs, which gained momentum during that period.