Earthquakes, heatwaves and floods: How extreme weather shaped 2025

From deadly heatwaves and massive floods to powerful quakes and cyclones, 2025 witnessed severe natural disasters across the globe

The year 2025 saw extreme weather and seismic events unfold. Heatwaves scorched cities, violent floods reshaped landscapes, major earthquakes caused mass casualties. No region was spared as climate-linked stresses and natural hazards intensified in scale and impact.

 

India mirrored this global pattern, facing a series of punishing disasters. From unprecedented lightning and record heat to cloudbursts and cyclones, communities, infrastructure and emergency systems were tested nationwide.

 

India's ordeal

 

Lightning catastrophe (April): A rare convergence of humid easterlies and western disturbances triggered a large-scale lightning outbreak across 12 states, killing at least 162 people, according to a report by Down To Earth.  

 

 

North India heat dome (April–June): A persistent heat dome locked north India under extreme temperatures. Delhi repeatedly crossed 45 degrees Celsius mark, while nights in major cities stayed above 30 degrees Celsius, causing severe heat stress.

 

Northeast deluge (May): Record pre-monsoon rains triggered major floods and landslides across Assam, Manipur and Mizoram. In Manipur, the situation was compounded by landslides that cut off key highways. 

 

Seismic activity in Delhi-NCR (July): On July 10, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck near Jhajjar, followed by a 3.7 quake the next day. Tremors were widely felt across Delhi-NCR, reviving seismic-risk concerns.

 

Dharali cloudburst, Uttarakhand (August 5): A sudden cloudburst in the Kheer Gad/Dharali region triggered flash floods and landslides, washing away homes and infrastructure and leaving dozens dead or missing. 

 

Kishtwar cloudburst, Jammu and Kashmir (August 14): A cloudburst struck the Machail Mata Yatra base camp in Chositi village, Kishtwar, causing a devastating flash flood that swept away the site and resulted in heavy casualties. 

 

Punjab floods (August): The intense monsoon season resulted in severe, riverine flooding across northern plains, notably devastating Punjab and adjoining regions of Haryana. Swollen Sutlej and Beas rivers breached embankments, submerging hundreds of villages. The floods caused massive agricultural damage and led to significant human and livestock casualties. 

 

Cyclone Montha (October): Cyclone Montha made landfall on the Andhra coast with strong winds and heavy rains, prompting large-scale evacuations and disrupting coastal livelihoods. 

 

Cyclone Ditwah (November–December): Cyclone Ditwah triggered severe rains and fierce winds in Tamil Nadu. Chennai witnessed extensive flooding, paralysing transport, schools and offices. 

 

Global disasters

 

Los Angeles wildfires (January): The year began with the destructive Palisades and Eaton wildfires in California, among the costliest global disasters of early 2025, causing multibillion-dollar losses and highlighting intensifying extreme weather conditions. 

 

Myanmar earthquake (March): A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar near Mandalay, killing over 3,000 and damaging regions across Thailand, China and Vietnam, the deadliest geophysical disaster of 2025. 

(Photo: X/@UNHABITAT)

 

European heatwaves (April–September): Southern and Western Europe endured a prolonged heatwave with temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius, causing several thousand heat-related deaths and overwhelming healthcare systems. 

 

Mokwa flood, Nigeria (May): Severe flash floods in Mokwa, Niger, killed hundreds and left many missing after intense rainfall and drainage failure, becoming one of Africa’s deadliest floods of the year.

 

Pakistan floods (June–September): Severe monsoon flooding battered Pakistan, affecting millions and causing more than a thousand deaths. According to the United Nations, the humanitarian toll was widespread, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the worst hit as flash floods and landslides wiped out homes, schools and entire settlements.

 

Kamchatka earthquake and tsunami (July 29): A massive 8.8 quake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, the world’s strongest since 2011, triggering a Pacific-wide tsunami alert and simultaneous eruptions of seven volcanoes in the region. 

 

Afghanistan’s twin earthquakes (August and November): Afghanistan was hit by two major, deadly earthquakes that caused catastrophic loss of life. The August 31 magnitude 6.0 Kunar quake, striking at a shallow depth of just 8 km, triggered severe ground shaking and left more than 2,000 people dead. It was followed by a 6.2 earthquake in Balkh province in the north. 

 

Southeast Asia floods and typhoons (late October): Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines were battered by persistent monsoon floods. Cyclone Senyar devastated Indonesia and Thailand, Cyclone Ditwah hit Sri Lanka with heavy casualties and displacement, and Super Typhoon Fung-wong tore through the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan.