Incessant, heavy rain swept across the country on Friday, disrupting daily life as major highways were obstructed and domestic flights delayed or cancelled.

Due to the relentless downpour, thousands of travellers were stranded on highways and airports, facing delays and travel chaos.

Landslides triggered by prolonged precipitation obstructed several highways, including at the busiest Nagdhunga entry point to the Kathmandu valley. Work to clear landslide debris was hampered by ceaseless showers.

Scores of domestic flights, including on the Kathmandu-Pokhara, Kathmandu-Bharatpur, Kathmandu-Simaraha, and Kathmandu-Surkhet routes, were cancelled, according to airline companies. Some international flights were also held up in the sky for a long time due to weather disturbances.

The local administrations have asked travel companies not to operate night bus service on Friday and Saturday to avoid risks.

Several places in Kathmandu Valley, including Baudha, Kapan, and Banasthali, have been inundated. Police started patrolling to prevent people from going to riverbanks after the water level of various rivers breached the danger mark at various places, including in the Khokana area, Gaurighat, Balkhukhola, Bishnumati and others.

Also, regular activities have been badly hampered in several other districts.

In Panchthar, traffic came to a halt after the water level in Hewa River overflowed the diversion.

According to Mahendra Raj Jabegu, vice-chairman of Phalelung Rural Municipality, continuous rainfall over the past three days halted vehicular movement from the district headquarters to other parts of the district and neighbouring areas.

In Kavre, the BP Highway was partially blocked due to mudslides at Roshi, operating one-way traffic since 9:45 am on Friday.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Raj Kumar Shrestha said efforts were ongoing to clear the debris jointly by the police, local authorities, and the Department of Roads.

Similarly, heavy rainfall triggered a landslide, obstructing the Bhimphedi-Kulekhani-Fakhel road section since Friday morning. The Kanti Highway, linking Hetauda and Kathmandu, has also remained blocked by a landslide since Thursday.

In Dang, the road division office has prohibited operation of heavy vehicles on the Kapurkot-Ramri section of the Rapti Highway for three days due to landslides. Engineer Ujwal Kumar Jha warned that vehicles may face prolonged obstruction even as major festivals approach.

Police Inspector Resham Bahadur Khatri said that mudslides and boulders have further hindered vehicle movement for the past two days.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said that several places in Jhapa district witnessed over 200 millimetres of rainfall, which is labelled ‘extremely heavy’.

“Jhapa district recorded 299 mm rainfall in the 24 hours until Friday afternoon, and rainfall is continuing,” said Shanti Kandel, a meteorologist at the division. “Five to seven places in Jhapa district have recorded over 200 mm of rainfall.”

Met officials say that rainfall above 50 mm is categorised as heavy, above 100 mm is very heavy and over 200 mm extremely heavy.

“Most places across the country recorded heavy rainfall on Friday,” said Kandel. “Several districts, including Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Kavrepalanchok, recorded heavy rainfall.”

The Met Office has anticipated heavy isolated rainfall in some parts of Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini provinces on Friday night. Light to moderate rainfall is likely in most parts of Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschim provinces, and a few places in the rest of provinces could witness light to moderate rainfall, punctuated with thundershowers.

Light to moderate rain is possible in most parts of Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini provinces on Saturday, and moderate rainfall with thunderstorms is likely in some places of other provinces. Isolated incidents of very heavy rainfall are also possible in parts of the Gandaki and Lumbini provinces.

Met officials said that rainfall will continue until Sunday.

“Compared to Friday, the weather starts improving from Sunday, but that does not mean rainfall will not occur,” said Kandel. “Light to moderate rainfall is possible in some parts of Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini provinces, and a few parts of the rest of the provinces could witness light to moderate rain—with thundershowers.”

The department has cautioned the public about the risks of landslides, debris flow and inundation in urban areas and in the Tarai.

The monsoon season in Nepal generally begins on June 13. The exit, which was usually on September 23, has been extended to October 2. This year, the clouds from the south entered Nepal from the western region on June 10, three days ahead of the usual onset date. Last year, the weather phenomenon started on June 14, a day after the normal onset day.

The monsoon period, which delivers around 80 percent of the country’s total annual rainfall, generally lasts 105 days. But, in recent years, it has been taking more time to withdraw.

This year, too, monsoon rainfall will be prolonged by at least five days, met officials had predicted earlier.

Nepal has already recorded above-average rainfall this season.

According to Met Office data, the country received 1,586.3 millimetres of rainfall as of Friday morning since the monsoon entered on June 10, 107.2 percent—7.2 percent above the average monsoon rainfall.

Normally, the country receives an average of 1,472 mm of rainfall in the four months—June, July, August, and September. Last year the country witnessed only 1,303 mm of rainfall in the season, 88.5 percent of the average.

Nepal is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the climate crisis and has witnessed multiple extreme weather events over the past decade and a half.

Evidence suggests that maximum temperatures in Nepal are rising faster, at 0.056 degrees Celsius a year, compared to the annual global average rise of 0.03 degrees Celsius.

Experts say extreme weather events—excessive rainfall in a short period, continuous rains for several days after the monsoon, dry spells, droughts, below-average precipitation, and above-normal winter temperatures—have become more frequent in Nepal.