Summary of climate disasters on the planet: February 26 – March 4, 2025

A rare earthquake shook the Siberian Arctic, raising questions about new risks not only for Russia but for the entire world. Meanwhile, other regions suffered from record rainfall, wildfires, and hurricanes. This article presents a Summary of climate disasters that occurred on the planet from February 26 to March 4, 2025.

Spain

Since the end of February, mainland Spain has been hit by powerful rainstorms, snowfalls, and floods.

Record rainfall turned the streets of Lorca, Murcia region, Spain, into rivers

In the regions of Murcia, Andalusia, and Valencia, record rainfall occurred in some areas. The highest amount of precipitation was recorded in the province of Castellón, municipality of Les Coves de Vinromà, Valencia region — 258.4 mm (10.17 inches).

In Valencia, schools were closed, and dozens of roads were shut down.

In Lorca, Murcia region, one person died, reportedly after attempting to drive through a flooded riverbed.

Heavy snowfalls hit the mountains of the Meseta Norte (Northern Plateau) and the Central System.

A state of emergency was declared in the region of Castile and León. In the province of Soria, about 500 vehicles were trapped in the snow.

In the municipality of Jerez, over 120 mm (4.72 inches) of precipitation fell in less than half an hour, causing flooding of businesses and several homes.

One local woman faced a heartbreaking decision — to save her two young children or her disabled father — when floodwaters inundated her home. Fortunately, help arrived in time.

Forty people were trapped in their cars on the AP-4 highway and were evacuated by rescue teams.

The severe weather also caused significant damage to the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, where the Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix was scheduled for April 25–27.

A powerful downpour flooded the Jerez – Ángel Nieto racing circuit, Spain

Japan

A wildfire that broke out on February 26 in the Japanese city of Ōfunato, Iwate Prefecture, continues to spread. As of March 3, its area had already reached 2,100 hectares (5,189 acres), making it the largest wildfire in the country in recent decades.

Given the scale of the natural disaster, firefighting brigades from 14 prefectures were deployed to contain the blaze. A total of 1,697 firefighters were involved in extinguishing the fire, along with 18 helicopters, 6 of which were especially powerful with high water-spraying capacity.

Despite the efforts of emergency services, the fire destroyed or damaged at least 84 buildings, including residential homes.

As a result of the largest wildfire, dozens of homes burned down in Ōfunato, Iwate Prefecture, Japan

Evacuation orders were issued to 1,896 households and 4,596 residents of the city. More than 1,200 people were evacuated. However, casualties could not be avoided — in the Kōji area, the body of a person who died in the fire was found.

It is worth noting that while some prefectures experienced record snowfalls in February, others faced an acute shortage of precipitation. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the city of Ōfunato received 2.5 mm (0.1 inches) of precipitation (against a February monthly average of 41 mm / 1.61 inches), which was the lowest level since the start of meteorological observations in 1964 and worsened the wildfire situation.

Tropical Cyclone Garance

On February 28, Tropical Cyclone Garance made landfall in the north of the French island of Réunion, located in the Indian Ocean.

Authorities declared the highest level of alert and urged residents to remain in shelters. In the capital city, Saint-Denis, residents rushed to stock up on essential supplies, farmers dismantled greenhouses, and fishermen brought their boats ashore.

The storm brought torrential rains and wind gusts reaching nearly 214 km/h (133 mph).

Powerful Tropical Cyclone Garance smashed into the French island of Réunion

Thousands of trees were uprooted, roads and bridges were damaged, and hundreds of homes were flooded. At least 180,000 households lost power, nearly the same number lost access to water, and 139,000 were left without Internet and communications.

Four people died, and several others were injured.

It is worth noting that while tropical cyclones often affect Réunion, their centers — which cause the most severe impact — almost never pass directly over the island. The last time this happened was 36 years ago.

One local resident admitted that it was the first time he had seen such a powerful cyclone and the first time he truly felt afraid.

An unusual and extremely alarming weather event was recorded in the Southern Hemisphere — on February 25, six tropical cyclones were raging simultaneously in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In the Indian Ocean — Garance, Honde, Bianca; in the Pacific Ocean — Alfred, Seru, Rae.

Such an event has occurred only once in recent decades — in 1989.

The tropical cyclone season in the Southern Hemisphere is showing high intensity — a total of 22 cyclones have been recorded, and their accumulated energy as of February 26 reached 166.3 points on the ACE scale, exceeding the norm by 30%.

Afghanistan

Since February 25, heavy rains with thunderstorms, snowfalls, floods, and even tornadoes have struck large parts of Afghanistan.

The provinces of Farah, Kandahar, Helmand, and Uruzgan were especially affected, where, as of March 1, at least 46 people had died due to the disaster.

The region suffered severe losses as a result of the destructive natural events: more than 2,000 solar panels were completely destroyed, along with 240 residential homes; dozens of other buildings were damaged, and agricultural land was affected.

Aftermath of the devastating flood in Afghanistan

On February 25, people who had come for a leisure trip to the mountainous area of Farah Province, Kojar village, Pusht-e-Koh district, were caught in a sudden downpour with hail while climbing a mountain.

Raging torrents of water literally swept people into deep ravines, leaving them no chance of survival.

On March 1, in the south of the country, in Uruzgan Province, a landslide buried a residential house with people inside under tons of soil.

Local residents are shocked by the events. One of them shared that in his 60 years of life, he had never seen such wind, rain, and storms. According to him, the storm was so powerful that fences were blown 30–35 meters (98–115  feet) away, and wooden structures simply shattered under the force of the wind.

USA

In early March, the states of South Carolina and North Carolina were engulfed by dozens of wildfires. Dry weather and strong winds created ideal conditions for the rapid spread of fire.

Wildfires rage in South Carolina and North Carolina, USA

The most dangerous fire occurred in Carolina Forest — an area west of Myrtle Beach, a popular resort in South Carolina. Breaking out on March 1, it grew to 650 hectares (1,606 acres) overnight, forcing authorities to urgently evacuate residents. A state of emergency was declared in South Carolina. By the evening of the next day, firefighters had managed to contain 30% of the blaze. Fortunately, no injuries or destroyed structures were reported.

Smoke enveloped highways, reducing visibility, and school activities were moved indoors.

India

On February 27, heavy precipitation struck the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, causing flash floods, landslides, and mudflows.

Heavy rain and snowfall resulted in a road being flooded in Himachal Pradesh, India

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for the districts of Mandi, Kangra, Kullu, and Chamba. Rainfall led to the closure of 444 roads in Himachal Pradesh, including four national highways.

On March 1, a massive landslide occurred in Chamba district, disrupting transportation and temporarily blocking the highway. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

Significant snowfall also fell in many areas. In the city of Keylang, Lahaul and Spiti District, 20 cm (7.87 inches) of snow was recorded. 

A day earlier, on February 28, a large avalanche buried a construction site near the village of Mana in the state of Uttarakhand — 54 people, most of whom were inside metal containers, were trapped under tons of snow.

Search and rescue operations after a powerful avalanche near the village of Mana, Uttarakhand, India

One of the survivors recalled hearing a loud roar, like thunder. Before he could react, everything went dark.

Rescue teams conducted search operations for 60 hours at an altitude of about 3,200 meters (10,499 feet) in conditions of heavy snowfall and low temperatures. Specialized RECCO radars, drones, and search-and-rescue dogs were used to locate people.

Forty-six people were rescued, but unfortunately, 8 people died.

Russia

The wildfire season in Primorye started two weeks earlier than usual this year — already in February. On February 25 and 27, fire came dangerously close to residential areas, destroying 18 structures.

Wildfire approaches homes and vehicles, Primorsky Krai, Russia

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) attributes these fires to the burning of dry vegetation.

However, the situation is worsened by a low-snow winter, abnormally warm weather, and strong winds, all contributing to the rapid spread of fire.

On March 2, 17 new fire outbreaks were recorded in just one day, affecting nearly 565 hectares (1,396 acres). The fire was dangerously close to residential areas, keeping the population of the region in fear.

Since the beginning of the year, 131 wildfires have been registered in Primorsky Krai, covering more than 14,000 hectares (34,594 acres): 45 wildfires on state forest lands burned 3,651 hectares (9,021 acres), and 86 fires on other territories burned 10,589 hectares (26,168 acres).

Since the start of 2025, increased seismic activity has been observed in Russia, including its Arctic region. Here are just a few examples.

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurred in the Laptev Sea, 213 km (132 miles) from the settlement of Tiksi, Yakutia, at 16:11 LT on February 28. The hypocenter was at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). 

According to the Altai-Sayan branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, on March 4 a magnitude 4.0 quake was recorded at 01:47 LT, 4.7 km (2.9 miles) southeast of the Sheregesh ski resort, Kemerovo Oblast.

But particular attention is drawn to the magnitude 5.1 earthquake that occurred on March 2 at 06:54 LT north of the Arctic Circle in Krasnoyarsk Krai, 283 km (176 miles) from Khatanga and 650 km (404 miles) from Norilsk. The hypocenter was at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The magnitude was later revised to 5.0.

Magnitude 5.0 earthquake in northern Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia

It is important to note that an earthquake of this magnitude is uncharacteristic for the seismically calm Taymyr region.

According to VolcanoDiscovery — a news portal with updates on earthquakes and volcanoes — this was the first recorded earthquake in this area since 1900.

Why is this earthquake especially noteworthy? Its exceptional danger lies in its location — precisely here, beneath the East Siberian Platform and partly under the West Siberian Plate, the Siberian magmatic plume is currently spreading actively, according to scientists’ calculations.

This is a gigantic ascending flow of magma that rises from Earth’s core and is gradually approaching the boundary of the Earth’s crust.

According to preliminary estimates by the international group of ALLATRA scientists, the center of the Siberian plume is located north of the Putorana Plateau, approximately 225 km (140 miles) from Norilsk, and its size is comparable to the territory of Australia.

The report “On the Threat of a Magma Plume Eruption in Siberia and Strategies for Addressing the Issue” presented irrefutable evidence indicating its activation — facts that can be easily verified even through open sources. And the M5.0 earthquake in the Siberian Arctic, directly within the calculated localization zone of the plume, is yet another serious confirmation of this hypothesis.

The danger lies in the fact that a potential breakthrough of the Siberian plume would be incomparably more powerful than the eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera, and humanity would then face an inevitable catastrophe, the aftermath of which would be impossible to remedy.

Yet, even in the face of such a threat, humanity has the opportunity to prevent the worst-case scenario. ALLATRA scientists have proposed a concrete solution — controlled degassing of the Siberian plume.

Carrying out planned degassing remains the only chance to save all of humanity, which is incomparably more beneficial and rational than doing nothing.

Yes, this process carries risks, but thorough preparation and consolidation of the scientific community will minimize them.

There is very little time left to change the situation…

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