In Europe, megafires have swept across tens of thousands of hectares, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. In France, the flames generated a rare pyrocumulonimbus cloud that affected the outskirts of Bordeaux.

Why Can't Europe Cope with Wildfires?

In Hubei Province, China, a rare EF2 tornado destroyed residential neighborhoods and industrial areas, claiming the lives of eleven people. In the south of the country, torrential rains exceeded the monthly precipitation norm by more than two times. In Spain’s Andalusia, a wildfire advanced 15 km in just two hours, becoming the deadliest in the region’s history — 12 people died. Super Typhoon Bavi reached the strength of a Category 5 tropical cyclone and virtually paralyzed Rota Island in the Pacific Ocean, while in Russia, severe rains in Dagestan triggered mudflows and landslides, completely cutting off dozens of high-altitude villages from the outside world.

Why Do Tornadoes in China and Super Typhoons Strike Without Warning?

The heat dome over the United States affected more than 200 million residents during the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of independence, with the heat index reaching 46°C in some areas. In New Jersey, the heat wave claimed 25 lives. Belarus recorded a national temperature record: in the city of Pinsk, the air temperature rose to +40.4°C, while nighttime temperatures met the criteria for tropical nights. In Lviv, temperature records were broken for six consecutive days before the overheated atmosphere was released through powerful storms.

Why Extreme Heat Has Become More Dangerous Than Hurricanes and How to Survive an Urban Heat Island

The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck less than a minute apart in Venezuela marked the country's most severe seismic episode in the past 125 years. In Japan, a powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake was recorded off the coast of Iwate Prefecture, followed by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Yamanashi Prefecture.

Why Venezuela's Mega Earthquake Became One of the Deadliest in 125 Years

While China was battling extreme downpours that brought more than 700 mm of rainfall in a single day in Guangdong Province, a historic flood occurred in the Taklamakan Desert — an event highly unusual for one of the driest regions on Earth. In Russia, Zabaykalsky Krai was hit by a June snowstorm, while in Tajikistan mudflows destroyed residential houses and infrastructure.

Giant Ice Blocks in China, a Powerful Earthquake in Indonesia, and a Tropical Storm in the U.S.

One-and-a-half-meter hail drifts in Armenia and an outbreak of 42 tornadoes across the U.S. Midwest were the week's most significant events. While utility crews were clearing massive accumulations of hail and ice in Gyumri, EF-3 tornadoes in Illinois and Indiana destroyed homes, devastated crops, and left hundreds of thousands of customers without power. In Papua New Guinea, pumice rafts generated by an eruption of the submarine Titan Ridge volcano reached the shores of Manus Province, blocking access to coastal villages and creating a humanitarian threat.

The Evolution of Thunderstorms: Why Convective Storms Now Seem to Appear Out of Nowhere

Earthquakes and volcanic activity were observed in various regions of the world over the past week. A deep-focus magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Italy with a focal depth of 259 km, a series of tremors on the Greek island of Evia, and a destructive magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the Philippines followed by a tsunami — these events allow researchers to study how processes within the Earth’s interior may be linked to changes detected in the ocean, atmosphere, and Earth’s crust. Over the past week, the Sakurajima volcano in Japan and the Shiveluch volcano in Kamchatka showed increased activity: ash plumes reached up to 12 km, and “ash rain” covered urban areas of Kagoshima.

The Devastated Philippines and Tornadoes in Europe: Why Cataclysms Leave No Time to Catch a Breath

A thermal anomaly affected several continents at once: France experienced the hottest May in its history, with nearly 2,000 temperature records broken; the United Kingdom recorded national temperature highs, while in China nighttime temperatures exceeded 30 °C for the first time. Against this backdrop, storm fronts with hail and hurricane-force winds affected many regions in Russia; a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred in Chile; and in Mexico, a 15-meter column of hot mud and steam erupted from underground.

The Abnormal Heat Wave in Europe and the Hidden Causes of Climate Collapse

Last week saw a surge in seismic and volcanic activity, even in regions where such processes are usually not expected. The submarine eruption of Titan Ridge volcano in the Bismarck Sea continues to form floating pumice islands. According to specialists, such intense submarine eruptions in this area are considered extremely rare and occur once every several hundred or even thousand years.

Why Do Earthquakes Strike Quiet Areas, And How Rapidly Is Our Planet Changing?

The planet is demonstrating an unprecedented level of climatic synchrony: while in India a thunderstorm with winds of up to 130 km/h claimed the lives of 117 people, landslide activity is increasing in Bulgaria. Heavy rains since the beginning of May have already triggered more than 2,200 landslides in the country. Extreme downpours in South Africa have isolated entire cities, while in Japan sudden convective cells with hail have destroyed the peach harvest — a symbol of Fukushima Prefecture.

RECORD-BREAKING DAMAGE | Are Insurance Companies Ready for the New Climate Reality?

The tragedy in Indonesia became the most widely reported event of the past week: the eruption of Mount Dukono claimed the lives of tourists, despite the area being officially designated as a restricted danger zone. The event clearly demonstrated how quickly familiar tourist routes can turn into traps amid growing global climate and environmental instability.

Why Do We Underestimate the Real Power of Natural Disasters?

Extreme heat in India was followed by a thunderstorm with large hail in Bengaluru, while at the same time Brazil experienced record frosts and abnormal precipitation. Dust storms and deadly lightning in Pakistan and rockfalls in China added to the picture of global instability, while in Europe an Arctic front brought snow to Bulgaria and triggered a landslide in the Rhodope Mountains.

How Did Microplastics Turn an Ordinary Thunderstorm Into a Deadly Threat?

Atmospheric instability has gripped the planet: while an EF4 tornado with winds exceeding 280 km/h raged in the United States, Ukraine was hit by a cold front bringing dust storms and April snowfall. At the same time, Thailand was suffocating from smog caused by large-scale wildfires, while in Russia freezing rain paralyzed infrastructure and a highway collapsed in Siberia. Meanwhile, Japan experienced a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, and in Iwate Prefecture the situation with wildfires spiraled out of control, affecting more than 1,600 hectares.

WORLD ON THE EDGE | A Massive Wildfire in Japan, EF4 Tornado in the U.S., and an Ice Storm in Russia

Synchronous strikes of extreme weather across different continents: Saudi Arabia faced historic hailstorms that turned deserts into “ice rivers,” while Vietnam experienced destructive storms with hailstones up to 7 cm in size. Against this backdrop, Super Typhoon “Sinlaku” showed a record rate of intensification — from a tropical depression to Category 5 in just 72 hours. The central United States was hit by a tornado outbreak, with more than 70 vortices in a week, while unprecedented flooding began in the Great Lakes region.

What Causes Earth's Climate to Defy the Laws of Physics?

The largest landslide in Europe, hurricane-force winds in Russia and China, April snowfall and floods in Turkey, extreme precipitation in Azerbaijan, tornadoes in Portugal, and destructive landslides in India and Pakistan — this edition brings together the most powerful and anomalous climate events of the week from April 6 to 12, 2026.

Europe's Largest Landslide | What Causes Entire Regions to Literally Crumble Before Our Eyes?

Simultaneous natural disasters across different continents: while Russia and Afghanistan were battling extreme floods, winter returned to Europe in April, bringing three-meter snowdrifts to Italy. The Greek island of Crete was hit by a powerful dust storm from the Sahara. Argentina and the United States experienced hailstorms with ice chunks the size of a palm, while regions of China were covered by an abnormal amount of hail.

The Synchronization of Hailstorms: Why Was the Planet Hit by Anomalies All at Once?

Extreme storms in the deserts of the Middle East and a return of winter to Europe in the middle of spring became the main highlights of the week. While rescue services in Qatar and the UAE were pumping out record volumes of water after the rains, residents of Saudi Arabia marveled at the unseasonal snowfall in the mountains. At the same time, Cyclone Deborah swept across the Apennines, the Balkans, and the Carpathians, bringing hurricane-force winds with gusts up to 216 km/h, hail, and anomalous snowfall.

STRUCK BY DISASTER | Cyclone Deborah Paralyzes the Balkans And Powerful Storms Hit China

Powerful cyclones raged simultaneously across different ocean basins, triggering a chain reaction of climate anomalies. While tourists in the Canary Islands were shocked by unusual March snowfall, Hawaii faced its worst flooding in 20 years, and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia experienced storms of a severity unseen since 1899. The energy systems of Pakistan and Malawi could not withstand the strain, while Brazil was trapped under a stationary storm for five days.

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