ABC News (US), on Climate, 26 October 2026

ABC News reports flash flooding across Phuket and a season of deadly floods in Thailand without once telling readers that a warmed planet is making extreme rainfall of this kind heavier and more frequent. The facts it reports are attributed and the absence of casualties is sourced, but the reader is left with a run of weather events and no sense of why such events are worsening.

6.0

Serious

out of 10

What we found

  1. Leaves out the climate link

    Serious

    “which could trigger more flash floods and landslides”

    What the words do
    The article passes on a forecast of further heavy rain and more flash floods without a single word on why extreme rainfall is becoming heavier.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That this is ordinary monsoon weather, unconnected to a warming planet.
    What is actually the case
    Human-caused warming has made heavy rainfall events more frequent and more severe. The article never uses the words climate or warming anywhere.

    How we know

    • On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
    • Elsewhere in the article“at least 83 people were reported killed”
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “climate” and “warming”.

    Show it in the article

    “Flooding has battered many parts of Thailand since mid-September”

    What the words do
    The article sums up six weeks of deadly flooding across a country as a run of bad weather, with no mention of the warming that is loading the dice.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That a death toll of at least 83 in weeks of flooding is simply seasonal misfortune.
    What is actually the case
    Warming has made heavy rainfall and the flooding it causes more frequent and more severe, a line the article never carries in any form.

    How we know

    • On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
    • Elsewhere in the article“warned of heavy and continuous rain”
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “warming”.

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    The Thai Meteorological Department warned of heavy and continuous rain in the south until Wednesday, which could trigger more flash floods and landslides. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, is making downpours of this intensity more frequent and more severe.

Every underline is part of a finding. Press one to see why.

Flash floods inundate several areas of Thailand's Phuket island after heavy rain

BANGKOK -- Flash floods on Monday inundated several areas of the island of Phuket in Thailand , one of the country's major tourist destinations, following heavy rainfall overnight, officials said. All three districts of the southern island province, including its capital, Phuket City, were impacted by the flooding. Water levels started to recede by late morning, but some lower-lying areas remained flooded and small vehicles were advised to avoid those areas, according to the provincial deputy governor, Romdon Hayiawae. He said some parts of the province were also hit with mudslides and officials were working to clear the debris to prevent it from falling into canals and obstructing waterways. Photos and videos shared on social media show floodwaters flowing into residential areas and filling up several roads, making them impassable. Vehicles are seen partially buried in piles of mud and rocks left behind by the flooding. Popular Reads Amy Acton says Trump, Vance should 'look at the facts' after Ramaswamy attack ad 9 hours ago Many feared trapped as a tall building collapses in Kenya Oct 23 Airman killed rappelling from Alamodome's ceiling in Salute to Armed Forces ceremony Oct 19 About 100 households were affected. There were no reports of casualties, Romdon said. The Thai Meteorological Department warned of heavy and continuous rain in the southern region until Wednesday, . and at least 83 people were reported killed as of Monday, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. The Thai capital of Bangkok was inundated in late September after days of torrential rain, forcing thousands to evacuate and causing severe disruptions.

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