Heavy rains triggered a house collapse in a northern Indian state, killing at least 12 people. The downpour also caused power outages, disorderly traffic and flooding in hundreds of homes, AP reported.

Schools were closed for the day in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.

The roof and wall of a dilapidated house collapsed early Friday morning in Hazratganj district. Nine people died on the spot and three others were hospitalized with injuries.

In Unnao, a town 40 km southwest of Lucknow, three more people were killed when a house collapsed after heavy rains.

Monsoon rains in South Asia usually begin in June. But this year, heavy downpours hit northeast India and Bangladesh starting in March, causing flooding in Bangladesh as early as April.

The rainy season, which ends in October, causes hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of homeless each year.

The Indian subcontinent's weather system is changing because of climate change. Scientists say it is making extreme events, such as excess rainfall, the new normal.