Summary of climate disasters on the Planet: February 12-18, 2025

Seismic activity on the planet is steadily increasing, yet it remains largely overlooked by science and the global community. Deep-focus earthquakes, which occur at depths greater than 300 km (186 miles), are of particular concern. Learn more about this and other climate disasters that occurred during the week of February 12 to 18 in the upcoming report.

Australia

Tropical Cyclone Zelia rapidly intensified from Category 1 to Category 5 in just 24 hours. This was due to the cyclone being stalled for nearly 48 hours off the coast of Australia, trapped between two high-pressure zones over abnormally warm waters exceeding 32°C (89.6°F).

Tropical Cyclone Zelia off the coast of Australia

On February 14, Zelia made landfall in the Pilbara region with wind gusts reaching up to 290 km/h (180 mph) and torrential rains. In some areas, up to 500 mm (19.7 inches) of rainfall accumulated over three days, leading to record-breaking floods. In the town of Telfer, 93 mm (3.7 inches) of rain fell in just one hour—an extremely rare event for this arid region. As a result, 63 residents of the Warralong community were evacuated by helicopter.

Many ports in the region were closed, including Port Hedland, one of the world’s largest iron ore export hubs. The storm damaged infrastructure, uprooted hundreds of trees, destroyed buildings, and caused significant losses to agriculture.

Saudi Arabia

From February 14 to 16, a powerful storm with hail caused a sharp drop in temperatures across the western regions of Saudi Arabia. The storm impacted the cities of Taif, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Al-Bahah, and others.

Heavy rains triggered flooding, while strong winds stirred up dust and sand. On the Red Sea, waves reached heights of up to 2 meters (6.6 feet). In Taif, hailstorms formed rushing ice-filled streams.

The severe weather extended to central parts of the country, affecting the Riyadh, Al-Qassim, Hail, and Al-Jawf regions. The highest rainfall was recorded in Al-Qassim. In the city of Al-Bukayriyah, 30 mm (1.2 inches) of rain fell within 24 hours— equivalent to five months' worth of precipitation!

In the capital, Riyadh, more than 6,500 specialists, including engineers and workers, as well as approximately 1,800 vehicles and pieces of equipment, were deployed for rapid response efforts.

Severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is one of the countries where the growing climate crisis has become increasingly evident. Authorities recognize that any approaching storm could bring catastrophic aftermath, which is why they proactively mobilize substantial resources to combat natural disasters.

USA

On February 13, an atmospheric river struck California, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms, and hurricane-force winds. The hardest-hit areas were in the south, where recent wildfires had devastated the land. There, the soil, covered in a dense layer of ash, repelled rainwater like asphalt. As a result, torrents of water rushed down the scorched slopes, triggering debris flows, landslides, and a rapid rise in river levels.

Raging floodwaters spread freely through areas recently burned by wildfires, California, USA

In Los Angeles, in the Pacific Palisades area, rainfall rates of up to 25 mm (1 inch) per hour flooded roads. Residents were advised to evacuate.

Landslides occurred on the Pacific Coast Highway between Santa Monica and Malibu. In Malibu, a fire department vehicle with a crew member inside was swept into the ocean by debris-laden floodwaters. Fortunately, the firefighter managed to escape the vehicle and reached safety with only minor injuries.

Heavy rains triggered widespread flooding across the state. In Northern California, numerous roads had to be closed. In the Sierra Nevada mountains, a severe snowstorm and hazardous conditions temporarily shut down Interstate 80 at Donner Pass.

From February 15 to 16, a powerful storm swept across the southeastern United States, impacting more than 128 million people. The storm affected Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia, Ohio, and Virginia. At least 10 people lost their lives.

A neighborhood completely submerged after torrential rains, USA

The greatest damage occurred in Kentucky, where up to 178 mm (7 inches) of rain fell in some areas. River levels reached historic highs, submerging entire neighborhoods and over 300 roads.

Relentless rain also triggered debris flows, landslides, and rockfalls. Massive boulders crashed onto Interstate 69.

In Tennessee, a powerful surge of water destroyed part of the Obion River levee, causing sudden flooding and forcing the emergency evacuation of residents in the city of Rives and nearby areas.

More than 330,000 customers across five states were left without power.

Italy

Italy experienced a range of extreme climate events.

On Mount Etna, intense explosive activity continued. A lava flow extended nearly 3 km (1.86 miles). As it came into contact with snow, it generated powerful steam emissions, while the resulting meltwater rushed down the slopes into the valley.

A lava flow descends the slope, melting snow and producing massive steam emissions, Mount Etna, Italy

Since February 12, Catania Fontanarossa Airport has been partially closed every few days due to reduced visibility from volcanic ash.

On February 14, the highest level of aviation hazard—red code—was issued for the region. Despite restrictions prohibiting access to the lava, thousands of people rushed toward the erupting Etna to capture dramatic footage. As a result, narrow streets became clogged with vehicles, blocking emergency services from passing through.

Starting February 15, a new earthquake swarm began in the Campi Flegrei supervolcano region. By February 19, 647 tremors had been recorded.

Earthquake swarm in the Campi Flegrei volcano region, Italy

One of the strongest tremors, with a magnitude of 3.9, terrified residents of Naples, who felt the intense shaking clearly. In the town of Pozzuoli, which sits directly within the supervolcano’s caldera, schools were closed. Hundreds of people, too afraid to return home, spent the night in outdoor shelters.

On February 13, a storm on the island of Elba shocked residents with its unexpected intensity, far exceeding meteorologists' predictions. In just a few hours, some areas recorded over 120 mm (4.7 inches) of rainfall, causing sudden flooding. The most critical situation unfolded in the municipality of Portoferraio.

Sudden flooding after hours of torrential rain, Elba Island, Italy

In the Carburo area, children and teachers had to be rescued after becoming trapped inside a school building by a 1-meter (3.3-ft) layer of water. Another 28 people were stranded in flooded cars and were rescued by firefighters, divers, and river rescue teams.

The following day, Gagliano del Capo, Lecce Province, and in Acireale, Catania Province, saw an unexpected heavy hailstorm. The hail accumulated so quickly that streets turned into rivers of ice.

Thick hail covering city streets, Lecce Province, Italy

Greece

Earthquakes near the island of Santorini continue unabated. Over the past week, due to the ongoing seismic swarm, a state of emergency was declared on three more Greek islands in the Aegean Sea:

• February 6 – Santorini
• February 12 – Amorgos
• February 13 – Anafi
• February 15 – Ios

Earthquake swarm in the Aegean Sea, Greece

On February 18, two strong tremors with a magnitude of 5.1 were recorded between the islands of Santorini and Amorgos.

On February 13–14, the island of Kefalonia in the Ionian Sea was hit by unprecedented heavy rainfall. The downpours were so intense that within minutes, everything was submerged. The island’s lowlands turned into a vast lake. In just two days, total rainfall reached 150 mm (5.9 inches), exceeding one and a half times the island’s average monthly precipitation for February (typically 100 mm or 3.9 inches). 

Residents had to use boats to reach their homes. Families with children, trapped in their vehicles by rising floodwaters, awaited urgent rescue. Some roads were blocked by landslides. Flooding also damaged heating systems, which were mainly located in basements, leaving people without heating in the cold season.

Water levels inside a residential home and on the street during the flood, Kefalonia, Greece

A resident of Kefalonia, who has lived there for over 40 years, admitted that he had never seen such flooding on the island before. Water levels had never risen so high—up to 1.5 meters (5 feet). Desperation is growing among locals, as experts estimate that the floodwaters could linger for another two months.

Russia

Some residents of the Altai Republic in Russia woke up on the morning of February 15 to shaking walls, trembling beds, and swaying chandeliers. The cause was a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, which, according to the Altai-Sayan branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, occurred at 8:48 AM (local time), 28 km (17.4 miles) from the village of Kosh-Agach.

In four villages, water supply disruptions were reported, prompting the need for water deliveries. Electricity briefly went out. Public events and school classes were canceled.

The earthquake was felt across various parts of the Siberian region,including the republics of Tuva, Khakassia, and Altai, as well as in the Altai Krai, Krasnoyarsk Krai, and the Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions.

For example, in the city of Barnaul, tremors were noticeable even on the lower floors of buildings.

The earthquake’s effects were also recorded in neighboring countries, including Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China.

On February 18, another, weaker earthquake with a magnitude of 3.0 occurred in the Kosh-Agach district, 4.3 km (2.7 miles) from the village of Beltir, at 1:05 PM (local time).

Deep-Focus Earthquakes

From January 1 to February 19, 2025, at least 123 deep-focus earthquakes with magnitudes above 4.0 were recorded in Italy, Japan, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Fiji, and other regions.

Deep-focus earthquakes are not a typical type of seismic activity and remain largely unexplored by conventional science. This is because they occur at depths where the mantle structure is malleable and there is simply nothing to break as in the case of a typical earthquake.

So why do these events occur, and why are they particularly dangerous now?

For billions of years, the temperature of magma remained stable. However, due to the cosmic influence, the Earth's core is now receiving additional energy, which is converting into heat and warming the mantle. The situation is further aggravated by the ocean losing its cooling function. As a result, instead of dissipating, energy is accumulating within the mantle. This makes magma even hotter and more fluid, causing it to rise toward the surface under centrifugal forces. As it ascends, it encounters colder currents, and their interaction triggers cavitation explosions—events as powerful as millions of nuclear bombs. Recently, the number of such explosions has been growing exponentially.

Dynamics of deep-focus earthquake growth since 1979

Not only is the frequency of deep-focus earthquakes increasing, but their magnitude is also rising.

This adds strain to the Earth's crust, leading to a surge in both the number and intensity of earthquakes.

It is especially alarming that these processes are self-reinforcing: each event creates conditions for new ones, accelerating the overall destabilization of the system.

Such drastic changes in the Earth's geophysical processes are not something humanity can simply adapt to and continue to live as usual. We are facing fundamental shifts in the entire climate system, which require an adequate response, as the future of our civilization depends on it.

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