A powerful and prolonged spell of severe weather has battered parts of the United States, with torrential rain, record flooding, tornadoes and destructive winds leaving several people dead and causing widespread damage across the Midwest and Ohio Valley.

Indiana has emerged as one of the hardest-hit states. Authorities said at least five people had died by Saturday as days of heavy rain pushed rivers to historic levels. More than 28 centimeters of rain fell in some areas over two days, sending the White River above seven meters in parts of central Indiana and breaking records dating back to 1913.

Indianapolis experienced its worst flooding in more than 30 years, prompting hundreds of evacuations. Firefighters and other emergency crews used boats to rescue residents trapped by rising water, with at least 95 people and 45 pets rescued in the city by Saturday afternoon. More than a dozen counties declared local disasters, while hundreds more people were evacuated elsewhere in the state.

The flooding followed a major storm system that swept across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia earlier in the week. The system produced powerful winds, tornadoes and intense rainfall. Wind gusts reached about 159 km/h in Gary, Indiana, while tornadoes were reported near Chicago.

The storms also caused extensive power outages. More than 600,000 customers across parts of the Midwest were without electricity at the height of the storm, while blocked roads, fallen trees and damaged infrastructure hampered emergency response and cleanup operations.

Ohio was also severely affected. Flooding disrupted emergency services, while 16 inmates at a correctional facility were injured by a lightning strike. Officials warned that additional flooding and severe storms could continue as the region remained under threat from successive rounds of bad weather.

Illinois has experienced an especially active tornado season. More than 200 tornadoes have been reported across the state this year, a total that already exceeds the previous annual record for the state and places Illinois close to the national record for tornadoes in a single year.

The latest storms are part of a broader pattern of repeated severe-weather outbreaks across the United States in 2026. Earlier in the year, major tornado outbreaks affected the central and Midwestern states, while flooding and severe thunderstorms have repeatedly struck communities from the Plains and South to the Midwest.

Emergency officials have urged residents to avoid flooded roads and waterways, follow evacuation orders and remain alert for further warnings. In many communities, the immediate danger has shifted from the storms themselves to rising rivers, unstable structures, downed power lines and prolonged power outages.

With more rain possible across parts of the Midwest, authorities say the recovery could take days or even weeks in the hardest-hit areas.

A powerful El Niño weather event could push an additional nearly 49 million people into acute food insecurity across ‌some of the world’s most vulnerable regions by the end of next year, the World Food Programme said on Wednesday.

The U.N. agency said in a report that there was an 81% chance of a very strong El Niño event, with sea surface temperatures at their warmest levels since at least 1982 and potentially making it the strongest such event ​since 1950, Reuters reported.

El Niño, a periodic warming of ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific, alters global weather patterns and is often associated ​with drought in Southern Africa, delayed monsoons in parts of Asia and erratic rainfall elsewhere.

“These are events that ⁠in the past have triggered large-scale hunger,” Jean-Martin Bauer, director of WFP’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service, told reporters.

Based on an analysis of 45 countries ​deemed vulnerable to the adverse effects of El Niño, WFP estimates that the number of people facing acute food insecurity could rise by almost ​49 million to a total of 274 million people, an increase of 22%, relative to the baseline population already experiencing crisis-level food insecurity or worse.

Central America and Southern Africa are expected to be among the hardest-hit regions, with the number of food-insecure people set to increase by 83% in Central America and nearly 75% in Southern Africa, the ​WFP report said.

Southern Africa as well as South America and the Caribbean could each see more than 12 million additional people fall into acute ​food insecurity.

Bauer said global food markets entered the El Niño period in a relatively strong position following good harvests in 2025, but warned that conflict in the ‌Middle East ⁠and potential weather-related crop losses could put further upward pressure on prices.

While past El Niño events have not typically triggered major global food price spikes, regional shortages and higher prices could worsen food access for vulnerable households, he said.

Funding cuts from U.S. and European donors in 2025 were also hampering efforts to monitor the developing crisis, with Bauer describing a growing drought of food-security data used to assess the impact of El Niño.

WFP conducted ​about 1.1 million household surveys in ​2024, compared with about 800,000 ⁠in 2025, while data collection has fallen further this year due to funding restrictions.

“At a time when you have a risk like an El Niño, it is important to have high-frequency data collection,” Bauer said, warning ​that reduced monitoring could make it harder to identify emerging food crises quickly.

EARLY ACTION REQUIRED

WFP said current ​forecasts point to rainfall ⁠deficits in parts of East Africa, the Sahel, Central America and the Caribbean, while flood risks could rise in Somalia and neighbouring areas.

Significant impacts are also projected across South and Southeast Asia, where drought risks, uneven monsoons and localized flooding could disrupt agricultural production, the report stated.

The agency stressed that ⁠the forecasts remain ​uncertain and that impacts will vary across regions, but warned that governments and aid ​agencies needed to prepare.

Richard Choularton, director of WFP’s Climate and Resilience Service, said the agency had scaled up anticipatory action programmes in 18 countries, reaching more than 1.3 million people so ​far this year with cash and other assistance to help in the event of extreme weather.

Heavy monsoon rains continue to batter large parts of India, triggering deadly landslides, flash floods and widespread disruption across several states.

In the southern state of Karnataka, three members of the same family were killed early Sunday after a rain-triggered landslide caused a hill to collapse onto their home in Shivamogga district. The state has experienced moderate to heavy rainfall over the past two days, with schools closed in several districts, including Karwar, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Dakshina Kannada.

Rivers in parts of Karnataka remain above danger levels, while flooded roads and waterlogged homes have prompted authorities to issue a high alert and urge residents to avoid rivers and low-lying areas.

In neighbouring Kerala, at least eight people have died in rain-related incidents after torrential downpours triggered landslides, flash floods and extensive damage, particularly in the state’s hilly regions. Several rivers burst their banks overnight, inundating towns across central districts. Authorities have opened 65 relief camps, providing shelter to more than 1,400 displaced residents.

Further northeast, flood conditions in Assam have shown slight improvement, although nearly 179,000 people remain affected across seven districts. The death toll from the state’s floods stands at 82, with thousands still living in relief camps. Several rivers, including the Dikhow and Dhansiri, continue to flow above danger levels, while more than 15,000 hectares of farmland remain submerged.

The Indian government has approved the early release of more than 21 billion rupees from the State Disaster Response Fund to support seven flood-affected states.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across several regions, including Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, West Bengal and Sikkim. Thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds are also expected in many parts of the country, with authorities urging residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert.