Summary of climate disasters on the planet, August 27–September 2, 2025

August 31 changed the fate of thousands of people forever…

We have grown accustomed to seeing tragedy as numbers, not as someone else’s pain — and this may have terrible consequences for each of us.

More details are provided below in the review of past week’s climate events, from August 27 to September 2, 2025.

Europe

Tropical Hurricane Erin, which reached Category 5 in the Atlantic, later transformed into one of the most powerful extratropical cyclones of recent decades — with wind speeds reaching 259 km/h (161 mph).

It struck European countries with ferocious winds, 14-meter (46-ft) waves, and record-breaking rainfall, causing massive power outages, floods, and landslides.

On August 28, the cyclone brought a violent thunderstorm with hail to the French island of Corsica. Heavy downpours at times reduced visibility to zero. But the greatest destruction came from the wind: gusts reached 159 km/h (99 mph) in the commune of L’Île-Rousse, 158 km/h (98 mph) in Cagnano, and 138 km/h (86 mph) in Calvi.

A powerful storm struck the French island of Corsica, visibility nearly zero

At Calvi commune airport, a rare incident occurred: the storm lifted the nose of an ATR-72 passenger aircraft standing on the runway and rotated it 45 degrees.

The storm knocked down numerous trees, damaged infrastructure and buildings, and left about 10,000 households without electricity. Within two hours, 800 lightning strikes were recorded.

On August 29, seven tornadoes were registered in France, four of which hit the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Two reached EF1 intensity, causing significant damage to buildings, trees, and crops.

In Italy, the Lombardy region was seriously affected. On August 28, more than 100 mm (3.9 in) of rainfall fell in the commune of Busto Arsizio, causing flooding.

The next day, a tornado destroyed a solar power plant with nearly 12,500 panels in the commune of Verrretto, Province of Pavia, leaving much of the town without electricity. The twister tore roofs from houses, and a centuries-old tree collapsed onto the road, blocking traffic.

A tornado destroyed a large solar power plant in the commune of Verretto, Province of Pavia, Italy

The aftermath of the storms was also felt in the Trentino-Alto Adige region. In the city of Riva del Garda, lightning struck a residential building, sparking a fire and damaging gas pipes, forcing nine families to evacuate.

In Piedmont, the storm brought devastating hail. In the area between Ivrea and Pavone Canavese, hailstones measuring 7–8 cm (2.7–3.1 in) in diameter left dozens of cars dented and with shattered windows. Roofs and window frames sustained serious damage, and many photovoltaic panels were smashed.

Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, but residents were shocked by the storm’s power.

The cyclone also affected other European countries: In Ireland and the United Kingdom, it brought hurricane-force winds, in some regions exceeding 160 km/h (99 mph). In the Western Alps, the Massif Central, and northern Spain, up to 200 mm (7.9 in) of rainfall fell within 48 hours, triggering landslides and river overflows.

A downpour with hail flooded streets in Spain

In the Baltic countries and Finland, the remnants of Cyclone Erin caused prolonged storm surges along the Baltic Sea, with water levels rising 1–1.5 m (3.3–5 ft) above normal.

In the Balkans, Hungary, and parts of Italy, temperatures were 8–10 °C (14–18 °F) above normal, setting local late-summer records.

The cyclone even reached Central and Eastern Europe: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, and Poland.

It is an extremely unusual case when a former tropical hurricane, formed in the central Atlantic, reached Europe and, retaining its strength, spread across much of the continent.

Tornadoes and Waterspouts

On August 29, three tornadoes were recorded on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland.

A powerful tornado swept across the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland

One funnel was captured by an eyewitness near the town of Vogar, on the coast of Faxaflói Bay.

Two other tornadoes appeared near a series of volcanic craters at Sundhnúkur, not far from the town of Grindavík. The funnels remained visible for about three minutes, swirling over the volcanic landscape.

Tornadoes in Iceland are extremely rare: since the 1980s, only 13 such cases have been registered. And the simultaneous appearance of two funnels is an absolutely unique event.

On August 30 in Russia, a waterspout was observed on the Ob River near the city of Surgut.

The funnel formed from convective clouds and hovered over the water for some time without posing any danger.

A rare phenomenon: a waterspout on the Ob River, near Surgut, Russia

It is worth noting that Surgut is located in northern Western Siberia, in the Tyumen Region. By climatic conditions it is classified as part of the Far North and lies in a subarctic continental climate zone, where such phenomena used to be extremely rare.

However, rising global temperature and humidity are creating conditions favorable for the formation of waterspouts and tornadoes even in places where they almost never occurred before.

Argentina

The night of August 31 became a severe trial for residents of central Argentina. The traditional regional storm Santa Rosa turned into a powerful disaster, breaking all records for rainfall and leaving behind floods, destruction, and paralyzed infrastructure.

Santa Rosa is an intense storm with rain, thunderstorms, and hail, typical for South American countries. It occurs annually at the end of August – beginning of September.

The Santa Rosa storm hit Argentina with heavy hail

In the capital, Buenos Aires, rains lasted for several hours, accompanied by wind gusts up to 70 km/h (43 mph).

Many settlements in the north of Buenos Aires Province ended up under water. In the Carlos Casares area, residents reported losses of crops and livestock.

In Mendoza Province, more than 100 people were left homeless. The storm knocked down trees, tore off roofs, and brought large hail. Heavy rain, snow, and fog in the high mountain areas led to the complete closure of National Route No. 7.

Rain with hail and snow created hazardous road conditions in Mendoza Province, Argentina

The Cristo Redentor and Pehuenche international passes, connecting Chile and Argentina, were closed in both directions as a precautionary measure.

The city of Cruz Alta in Córdoba Province suffered from flooding the most, with 330 mm (13 in) of rainfall falling in just 24 hours. The city’s lowland location caused water to flow in from neighboring territories. The flooding destroyed homes and roads and caused soil erosion, threatening crops.

A similar situation occurred in the city of María Teresa, Santa Fe Province, which is also located in a basin.

The Santa Rosa storm caused severe flooding in María Teresa, Santa Fe Province, Argentina

The agricultural sector of central Argentina faced catastrophic consequences from the flooding. Thousands of hectares of farmland were submerged, and machinery could not access the fields. As a result, the new sowing season and the harvesting of soy, corn, sunflower, and wheat were disrupted.

Afghanistan

On August 29, torrential rains struck Nangarhar Province, triggering flash floods.

In the affected districts of Rodat, Haska Mina, Chaparhar, Spin Ghar, and Achin, dozens of houses were destroyed, roads, dams, and irrigation canals were damaged, and thousands of hectares of farmland were wiped out.

Torrential rains destroyed crops in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan

In Spin Ghar district, two young girls were killed when the roof of their home collapsed under the heavy rain, and three other family members were injured.

In total, the disaster claimed 5 lives in the province.

Late in the evening of August 31, at 23:47 LT, eastern Afghanistan was shaken by a powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.0. Its epicenter was located about 27 km (17 mi) from Jalalabad, and the hypocenter lay at a depth of only 8 km (5 mi).

As of September 4, more than 2,200 people had been killed and over 3,300 injured.

In the following two days, at least 10 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or higher were recorded. Three of them exceeded magnitude 5.0 and struck at shallow depths of up to 11 km (7 mi). According to local residents, they leveled houses that had only been partially damaged during the main quake. Many villages were reduced to rubble, and the number of destroyed buildings exceeded 6,700.

Access to some of the hardest-hit areas was impossible: narrow roads were blocked by rockfalls and landslides, and the region’s rugged terrain made aid delivery difficult. Victims were airlifted by helicopters to the nearest hospitals.

Due to the shortage of professional assistance, local residents also carried out rescue work. Lacking equipment, they cleared the debris of mudbrick and stone houses with their bare hands.

Magnitude 6.0 earthquake in Afghanistan led to catastrophic aftermath

Aftershocks repeatedly interrupted the search for survivors, wasting precious time critical for saving those trapped under the rubble.

Eyewitness stories highlight the scale of the tragedy. A 14-year-old boy was injured when his house completely collapsed, while five members of his family perished. He managed to save only his father, whose voice he heard from beneath the debris.

This earthquake became one of the most destructive in the country in recent decades. 

Sudan

On August 31, after several days of continuous heavy rainfall, a massive landslide struck the border of Central and South Darfur provinces. The village of Tarsin, located in the Marrah mountain range, was completely buried under a layer of mud and rocks.

As a result of the disaster, more than 1,000 people lost their lives — only one local resident survived.

This landslide became the deadliest in the country’s modern history. Rescue operations were carried out in extremely harsh conditions: difficult mountain terrain, relentless downpours, washed-out roads, total lack of communication, and ongoing armed conflict.

A powerful landslide in Sudan wiped the village of Tarsin off the map — more than a thousand people killed

Residents of nearby villages fear the tragedy may repeat if the torrential rains do not stop.

The situation is aggravated by the severe humanitarian crisis in the region, torn apart by armed conflicts, hunger, and mass displacement of the population.

This is just one of many examples of how catastrophes are rapidly escalating while the world remains indifferent.

It’s striking that so many intelligent, well-educated people clearly understand what’s happening: disasters are intensifying, people are dying in large numbers, and divisions are deepening — yet society remains silent, taking no action. Isn’t that a sign of a loss of humanity?

Many believe that something extraordinary must happen — a disaster of planetary scale, or the death of a huge number of people — and only then will they be shaken enough to awaken compassion and feel the urge to act.

In reality, this is not so. Remember the boy in Afghanistan who lost almost his entire family — when we see the tragedy of one person, compassion arises. But when it comes to thousands of victims, it is perceived merely as dry statistics. Empathy fades, replaced by fear: “What if I die too?”

That is how the human psyche works. And the deeper we enter the era of climate disasters, the less mass casualties evoke compassion in most people. Empathy gradually weakens, while selfishness and fear for one’s own life, on the contrary, grow stronger.

If we feel no need to help another, to respond to someone else’s grief, then those around us will react in exactly the same way.

As a result, we risk ending up in a society where everyone lives solely for themselves; where people are ready to take the last piece from the elderly and children; where human life is worth nothing.

But who among us truly wants to end up in a crisis completely alone, without support?

There are many people on the planet who try to live according to their conscience. However, most of them remain inactive, content with their small world, where they have built good relationships with their loved ones, established harmony with nature, and found their own peace. But while each person locks themselves in their cozy space, our shared world continues to slide into the abyss because of our indifference.

Today the climate problem comes to the forefront. Unless people realize its scale and the real threat it poses, they will never be able to abandon the artificially imposed divisions and conflicts.

To change the situation, the problem needs to be brought to the attention of society as a whole. And this is only possible when people themselves start talking about it. We should not wait for change to come from small groups of people, whether they be politicians, religious figures, or opinion leaders.

The future depends on each and every one of us in whom humanity is still alive.

You can watch the video version of this article here: