The simplest model, based on polynomials, yields the best performance.
rain
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 24 May 2026 landslide disaster in Yongchuan, Chongqing, China
Planet Labs imagery reveals a cluster of shallow landslides and channelised debris flows triggered by extreme rainfall. Official figures indicate that 20 people were killed. Early in the morning of 24 May 2026, extremely heavy rainfall triggered a significant landslide disaster in Yongchuan District in Chongqing, China. As is so often the case in mainland […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
A valley-blocking landslide in Lower Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India
A large landslide in India, triggered by monsoon rainfall, was captured on a remarkable video. On Monday 29 June 2026, a valley-blocking landsldie occurred on the Siji River in Lower Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India. I have yet to track down the precise location of this event, but it is in the region of [27.7146, […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Our new paper: Extreme rainfall further endangers the world’s rarest great ape
In November 2025, Cyclone Senyar generated extreme rainfall in parts of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggering thousands of landslides. Our new paper in the journal Current Biology demonstrates that these landslides might have a devastating impact on a critically endangered population of Tapanuli orangutan. In November 2025, Cyclone Senyar brought extreme rainfall to large parts of Sumatra […]
Posted inNews
Heavy Rainfall Inflates Mount Fuji
The uplift, several centimeters in magnitude, is likely caused by water pooling in the mountain’s shallow aquifers. The effect is shorter lived than deformation caused by magmatic activity.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The prospects for the 2026 monsoon in South Asia
Forecasts for the 2026 South Asia monsoon are for below average rainfall, but some of the most landslide prone areas of India may receive totals that are above average. As usual, we are now starting to see the number of reported global fatal landslides increase as the northern hemisphere rainy season commences. In recent days, […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 19 July 2025 multiple landslide event in Sancheong, South Korea
On 19 July 2025, intense, long duration rainfall triggered over 550 landslides in Sancheong, South Korea, killing at least 10 people. On 19 July 2025, extremely heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides in Sancheong, South Korea. This event has been described by a new paper (Nguyen et al. 2026) just published in the journal Landslides. The […]
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Fixing Baltimore’s Unequal Weather Data Coverage
A new partnership between researchers and community members created a comprehensive network of weather stations across underserved areas of the city.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Global fatal landslides in January and February 2026
The number of fatal landslides in 2026 to the end of February was considerably above both the long term mean and the year with the highest total, 2024. To bring everything back up to date, I am providing an update on fatal landslides for both January and February 2026. As usual, this data has been […]
Posted inNews
Marine Heat Waves Can Increase Coastal Rainfall
Unusually warm ocean waters can amplify extreme rainfall in downwind areas, leaving coastal communities—especially those in developing countries—at risk.