Landslide season, month by month around the world

The hill roads slip and shut for days; getting there, not being there, is the problem.

This is a warning page, not a recommendation. Landslide season covers 24 destinations on SeasonMap; the months below are the ones in which the risk window is open — most weeks in them pass quietly, and the score beside each place is still the ordinary climate score, hazard and all.

← All seasonsThe world's calendar

When it is on

Number of destinations with landslide season on in that month. Windows move a little each year.

Landslide season in January

  1. San Salvador de Jujuy 🇦🇷 ArgentinaSummer landslides in the Quebrada · 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)Summer storms send mud and rockslides across Ruta 9 near Volcan and Tunalito and Ruta 52 at the Cuesta de Lipan, cutting access to Purmamarca, Tilcara and Humahuaca for hours or days.72
  2. Big Sur 🇺🇸 United StatesHighway 1 slide season · 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)Winter storms put rock and mud onto the coast road most years, and a bad slide can shut a section for months or seasons.68
  3. Ouro Preto 🇧🇷 BrazilRainy season landslides · 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually)Heavy summer rain on the steep hillsides brings landslides; in January 2022 one on Morro da Forca brought down historic mansions.68
  4. Tilcara 🇦🇷 ArgentinaSummer mudslides on the RN 9 · 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)Summer storms send mud and rock down the side gullies onto the valley road, locally called volcanes, cutting the RN 9 at Volcán or Tumbaya for hours or days.64
  5. Blantyre 🇲🇼 MalawiCyclone rains and landslides · 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)Late-season tropical storms can dump days of rain on the southern highlands; in March 2023 Cyclone Freddy set off flash floods and mudslides below Soche Hill that killed hundreds in the city.57

What's on around the world in January →

Landslide season in February

  1. San Salvador de Jujuy 🇦🇷 ArgentinaSummer landslides in the Quebrada · 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)Summer storms send mud and rockslides across Ruta 9 near Volcan and Tunalito and Ruta 52 at the Cuesta de Lipan, cutting access to Purmamarca, Tilcara and Humahuaca for hours or days.76
  2. Big Sur 🇺🇸 United StatesHighway 1 slide season · 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)Winter storms put rock and mud onto the coast road most years, and a bad slide can shut a section for months or seasons.75
  3. Ouro Preto 🇧🇷 BrazilRainy season landslides · 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually)Heavy summer rain on the steep hillsides brings landslides; in January 2022 one on Morro da Forca brought down historic mansions.72
  4. Blantyre 🇲🇼 MalawiCyclone rains and landslides · 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)Late-season tropical storms can dump days of rain on the southern highlands; in March 2023 Cyclone Freddy set off flash floods and mudslides below Soche Hill that killed hundreds in the city.67
  5. Tilcara 🇦🇷 ArgentinaSummer mudslides on the RN 9 · 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)Summer storms send mud and rock down the side gullies onto the valley road, locally called volcanes, cutting the RN 9 at Volcán or Tumbaya for hours or days.66

What's on around the world in February →

Landslide season in March

  1. Ouro Preto 🇧🇷 BrazilRainy season landslides · 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually)Heavy summer rain on the steep hillsides brings landslides; in January 2022 one on Morro da Forca brought down historic mansions.80
  2. Big Sur 🇺🇸 United StatesHighway 1 slide season · 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)Winter storms put rock and mud onto the coast road most years, and a bad slide can shut a section for months or seasons.75
  3. San Salvador de Jujuy 🇦🇷 ArgentinaSummer landslides in the Quebrada · 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)Summer storms send mud and rockslides across Ruta 9 near Volcan and Tunalito and Ruta 52 at the Cuesta de Lipan, cutting access to Purmamarca, Tilcara and Humahuaca for hours or days.74
  4. Blantyre 🇲🇼 MalawiCyclone rains and landslides · 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)Late-season tropical storms can dump days of rain on the southern highlands; in March 2023 Cyclone Freddy set off flash floods and mudslides below Soche Hill that killed hundreds in the city.68
  5. Tilcara 🇦🇷 ArgentinaSummer mudslides on the RN 9 · 1 Jan – 31 Mar (usually)Summer storms send mud and rock down the side gullies onto the valley road, locally called volcanes, cutting the RN 9 at Volcán or Tumbaya for hours or days.63

What's on around the world in March →

Landslide season in April

  1. Big Sur 🇺🇸 United StatesHighway 1 slide season · 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)Winter storms put rock and mud onto the coast road most years, and a bad slide can shut a section for months or seasons.87

What's on around the world in April →

Landslide season in June

  1. Kasol 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon in the Parvati Valley · 25 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)The single road up from Bhuntar is an active landslide stretch once the rain sets in and gets blocked for days with no detour.80
  2. Shangri-La 🇨🇳 ChinaRainy season · 15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually)The wet months are when the mountain roads fail.74
  3. Darjeeling 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon and landslide season · 15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually)The eastern Himalaya takes some of the heaviest rain in India, and slips regularly close NH-10 up from Siliguri and the Rohini road, sometimes for days.61
  4. Gangtok 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on NH-10 · 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)The road up from Siliguri along the Teesta is the only practical way in and it loses sections every season, sometimes for days.61
  5. Munnar 🇮🇳 IndiaGhat road landslides · 1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)Idukki takes the full south-west monsoon and the ghat roads up from Kochi lose sections most seasons.59
  6. Gorkha 🇳🇵 NepalMonsoon landslides on the Manaslu road · 10 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)Monsoon rain loosens the slopes above the Budhi Gandaki gorge, and slides cut both the dirt road beyond Arughat and the trail sections carved into the cliffs.59
  7. Madikeri 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon landslides on the ghat roads · 10 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)Heavy rain brings landslides onto NH 275 through the Sampaje ghat; the district bans heavy vehicles for weeks and has closed the ghat at night, so allow for detours and avoid driving after dark.56
  8. Lake Atitlán 🇬🇹 GuatemalaLandslide season · 1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)Heavy rainy-season downpours bring mudslides off the volcanoes around the lake, and the steep road down from Solola to Panajachel has been cut for weeks at a time.55
  9. Luang Namtha 🇱🇦 LaosRainy-season mud and landslides · 1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)Nam Ha treks still run, but trails turn to slick mud with leeches, and guides call off days they judge unsafe.51
  10. Kathmandu 🇳🇵 NepalLandslide season on the hill roads · 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)The monsoon closes hill roads for days at a time and delays the mountain flights that everything else depends on.49
  11. Chittagong 🇧🇩 BangladeshMonsoon landslides and waterlogging · 1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)Heavy monsoon bursts bring deadly landslides on the cut hillsides around the city and knee-deep water in Agrabad and other low districts.35

What's on around the world in June →

Landslide season in July

  1. Lake Atitlán 🇬🇹 GuatemalaLandslide season · 1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)Heavy rainy-season downpours bring mudslides off the volcanoes around the lake, and the steep road down from Solola to Panajachel has been cut for weeks at a time.73
  2. Shangri-La 🇨🇳 ChinaRainy season · 15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually)The wet months are when the mountain roads fail.65
  3. Shimla 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon slips on the hill · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The slopes below the town give way most seasons and the Kalka road loses sections with them; the bad years have taken buildings down.62
  4. Nainital 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the hill roads · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The roads up from Haldwani and Kaladhungi lose sections in the worst weeks, and the slope above the lake has a long history of coming down.61
  5. Mussoorie 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the Dehradun road · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The road up loses sections in the heaviest weeks and the slopes above Kempty come down with them.58
  6. Kasol 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon in the Parvati Valley · 25 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)The single road up from Bhuntar is an active landslide stretch once the rain sets in and gets blocked for days with no detour.57
  7. Darjeeling 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon and landslide season · 15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually)The eastern Himalaya takes some of the heaviest rain in India, and slips regularly close NH-10 up from Siliguri and the Rohini road, sometimes for days.56
  8. Munnar 🇮🇳 IndiaGhat road landslides · 1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)Idukki takes the full south-west monsoon and the ghat roads up from Kochi lose sections most seasons.56
  9. Gangtok 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on NH-10 · 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)The road up from Siliguri along the Teesta is the only practical way in and it loses sections every season, sometimes for days.55
  10. Madikeri 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon landslides on the ghat roads · 10 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)Heavy rain brings landslides onto NH 275 through the Sampaje ghat; the district bans heavy vehicles for weeks and has closed the ghat at night, so allow for detours and avoid driving after dark.53
  11. Gorkha 🇳🇵 NepalMonsoon landslides on the Manaslu road · 10 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)Monsoon rain loosens the slopes above the Budhi Gandaki gorge, and slides cut both the dirt road beyond Arughat and the trail sections carved into the cliffs.52
  12. Auli 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the road in · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The highway up from Rishikesh is the only way in and it loses sections most weeks in these months.50
  13. Manali 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the valley road · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The Beas runs high and the highway down to Kullu and Mandi loses sections most seasons, sometimes for days.48
  14. Kathmandu 🇳🇵 NepalLandslide season on the hill roads · 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)The monsoon closes hill roads for days at a time and delays the mountain flights that everything else depends on.43
  15. Luang Namtha 🇱🇦 LaosRainy-season mud and landslides · 1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)Nam Ha treks still run, but trails turn to slick mud with leeches, and guides call off days they judge unsafe.43
  16. Chittagong 🇧🇩 BangladeshMonsoon landslides and waterlogging · 1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)Heavy monsoon bursts bring deadly landslides on the cut hillsides around the city and knee-deep water in Agrabad and other low districts.38
  17. Rishikesh 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon and landslide season · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The hill roads north towards Devprayag and Uttarkashi slip and close in the heavy weeks, and the river runs brown and high past the ghats.37

What's on around the world in July →

Landslide season in August

  1. Shangri-La 🇨🇳 ChinaRainy season · 15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually)The wet months are when the mountain roads fail.67
  2. Lake Atitlán 🇬🇹 GuatemalaLandslide season · 1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)Heavy rainy-season downpours bring mudslides off the volcanoes around the lake, and the steep road down from Solola to Panajachel has been cut for weeks at a time.65
  3. Shimla 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon slips on the hill · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The slopes below the town give way most seasons and the Kalka road loses sections with them; the bad years have taken buildings down.63
  4. Munnar 🇮🇳 IndiaGhat road landslides · 1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)Idukki takes the full south-west monsoon and the ghat roads up from Kochi lose sections most seasons.60
  5. Nainital 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the hill roads · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The roads up from Haldwani and Kaladhungi lose sections in the worst weeks, and the slope above the lake has a long history of coming down.60
  6. Madikeri 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon landslides on the ghat roads · 10 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)Heavy rain brings landslides onto NH 275 through the Sampaje ghat; the district bans heavy vehicles for weeks and has closed the ghat at night, so allow for detours and avoid driving after dark.59
  7. Darjeeling 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon and landslide season · 15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually)The eastern Himalaya takes some of the heaviest rain in India, and slips regularly close NH-10 up from Siliguri and the Rohini road, sometimes for days.58
  8. Gangtok 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on NH-10 · 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)The road up from Siliguri along the Teesta is the only practical way in and it loses sections every season, sometimes for days.58
  9. Mussoorie 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the Dehradun road · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The road up loses sections in the heaviest weeks and the slopes above Kempty come down with them.57
  10. Kasol 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon in the Parvati Valley · 25 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)The single road up from Bhuntar is an active landslide stretch once the rain sets in and gets blocked for days with no detour.56
  11. Gorkha 🇳🇵 NepalMonsoon landslides on the Manaslu road · 10 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)Monsoon rain loosens the slopes above the Budhi Gandaki gorge, and slides cut both the dirt road beyond Arughat and the trail sections carved into the cliffs.53
  12. Auli 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the road in · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The highway up from Rishikesh is the only way in and it loses sections most weeks in these months.51
  13. Manali 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the valley road · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The Beas runs high and the highway down to Kullu and Mandi loses sections most seasons, sometimes for days.50
  14. Kathmandu 🇳🇵 NepalLandslide season on the hill roads · 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)The monsoon closes hill roads for days at a time and delays the mountain flights that everything else depends on.45
  15. Rishikesh 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon and landslide season · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The hill roads north towards Devprayag and Uttarkashi slip and close in the heavy weeks, and the river runs brown and high past the ghats.39
  16. Luang Namtha 🇱🇦 LaosRainy-season mud and landslides · 1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)Nam Ha treks still run, but trails turn to slick mud with leeches, and guides call off days they judge unsafe.39
  17. Chittagong 🇧🇩 BangladeshMonsoon landslides and waterlogging · 1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)Heavy monsoon bursts bring deadly landslides on the cut hillsides around the city and knee-deep water in Agrabad and other low districts.39

What's on around the world in August →

Landslide season in September

  1. Shimla 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon slips on the hill · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The slopes below the town give way most seasons and the Kalka road loses sections with them; the bad years have taken buildings down.76
  2. Kasol 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon in the Parvati Valley · 25 Jun – 10 Sep (usually)The single road up from Bhuntar is an active landslide stretch once the rain sets in and gets blocked for days with no detour.72
  3. Shangri-La 🇨🇳 ChinaRainy season · 15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually)The wet months are when the mountain roads fail.72
  4. Nainital 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the hill roads · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The roads up from Haldwani and Kaladhungi lose sections in the worst weeks, and the slope above the lake has a long history of coming down.69
  5. Mussoorie 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the Dehradun road · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The road up loses sections in the heaviest weeks and the slopes above Kempty come down with them.69
  6. Darjeeling 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon and landslide season · 15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually)The eastern Himalaya takes some of the heaviest rain in India, and slips regularly close NH-10 up from Siliguri and the Rohini road, sometimes for days.60
  7. Gangtok 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on NH-10 · 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)The road up from Siliguri along the Teesta is the only practical way in and it loses sections every season, sometimes for days.60
  8. Auli 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the road in · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The highway up from Rishikesh is the only way in and it loses sections most weeks in these months.58
  9. Manali 🇮🇳 IndiaLandslides on the valley road · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The Beas runs high and the highway down to Kullu and Mandi loses sections most seasons, sometimes for days.56
  10. Lake Atitlán 🇬🇹 GuatemalaLandslide season · 1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)Heavy rainy-season downpours bring mudslides off the volcanoes around the lake, and the steep road down from Solola to Panajachel has been cut for weeks at a time.56
  11. Gorkha 🇳🇵 NepalMonsoon landslides on the Manaslu road · 10 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)Monsoon rain loosens the slopes above the Budhi Gandaki gorge, and slides cut both the dirt road beyond Arughat and the trail sections carved into the cliffs.56
  12. Rishikesh 🇮🇳 IndiaMonsoon and landslide season · 1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)The hill roads north towards Devprayag and Uttarkashi slip and close in the heavy weeks, and the river runs brown and high past the ghats.54
  13. Kathmandu 🇳🇵 NepalLandslide season on the hill roads · 15 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)The monsoon closes hill roads for days at a time and delays the mountain flights that everything else depends on.50
  14. Luang Namtha 🇱🇦 LaosRainy-season mud and landslides · 1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)Nam Ha treks still run, but trails turn to slick mud with leeches, and guides call off days they judge unsafe.50
  15. Chittagong 🇧🇩 BangladeshMonsoon landslides and waterlogging · 1 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)Heavy monsoon bursts bring deadly landslides on the cut hillsides around the city and knee-deep water in Agrabad and other low districts.42

What's on around the world in September →

Landslide season in October

  1. Lake Atitlán 🇬🇹 GuatemalaLandslide season · 1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually)Heavy rainy-season downpours bring mudslides off the volcanoes around the lake, and the steep road down from Solola to Panajachel has been cut for weeks at a time.61
  2. Cameron Highlands 🇲🇾 MalaysiaWettest weeks and landslide risk · 1 Oct – 20 Dec (usually)Sustained afternoon rain saturates slopes that have been cleared for farming, and the access roads close for clearance more years than not.60
  3. Bucaramanga 🇨🇴 ColombiaSecond-rains landslides · 1 Oct – 30 Nov (usually)October and November bring the year's second and heavier rains, and landslides regularly close or restrict the mountain roads to Bogota, Pamplona and the Magdalena valley.55

What's on around the world in October →

Landslide season in November

  1. Cameron Highlands 🇲🇾 MalaysiaWettest weeks and landslide risk · 1 Oct – 20 Dec (usually)Sustained afternoon rain saturates slopes that have been cleared for farming, and the access roads close for clearance more years than not.57
  2. Bucaramanga 🇨🇴 ColombiaSecond-rains landslides · 1 Oct – 30 Nov (usually)October and November bring the year's second and heavier rains, and landslides regularly close or restrict the mountain roads to Bogota, Pamplona and the Magdalena valley.56

What's on around the world in November →

Landslide season in December

  1. Big Sur 🇺🇸 United StatesHighway 1 slide season · 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)Winter storms put rock and mud onto the coast road most years, and a bad slide can shut a section for months or seasons.70
  2. Ouro Preto 🇧🇷 BrazilRainy season landslides · 1 Dec – 31 Mar (usually)Heavy summer rain on the steep hillsides brings landslides; in January 2022 one on Morro da Forca brought down historic mansions.69
  3. Cameron Highlands 🇲🇾 MalaysiaWettest weeks and landslide risk · 1 Oct – 20 Dec (usually)Sustained afternoon rain saturates slopes that have been cleared for farming, and the access roads close for clearance more years than not.62

What's on around the world in December →