#monsoon

#monsoon

January brings torrential rain to south-east Asia more than 250mm fell in just two days in Singapore last year. This is because of the monsoon, a pattern of wind and rainfall, the name of which stems from the Arabic word for season. The monsoon is sometimes described in terms of a sea breeze, in which the wind reverses direction in the morning and evening as the relative temperature of land and sea change, blowing out to sea at first and then inland as the land cools.

Eighteen people died and seven remain missing after multiple villages were swept away in the eastern Ilam district bordering India, police spokesperson Binod Ghimire said. Six members of one family were crushed when a landslide buried their home overnight, local officials added. Authorities said 114 people had been rescued, Ilam's assistant administrative officer Bholanath Guragai said, though continued rainfall and blocked roads were hampering relief efforts.

The storm dumped inches of rain on the San Bernardino County mountains and foothills and unleashed a torrent of mud, rocks and trees, particularly in burn scars near Oak Glen and Forest Falls. In the end, three homes were destroyed and more than a dozen other homes, businesses and outbuildings were damaged, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District.

A sudden flow of debris and water surged through Dharali village in the Kheer Gad area near Harsil, prompted by a massive mudslide. Videos showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away buildings.

Flash floods, collapsed buildings and electrocutions have killed 221 people since the monsoon season arrived in the country in late June, with heavier rains than usual.