From California wildfires to deadly Asian floods: Natural disasters that ravaged the globe in 2025

The year exposed the world’s growing vulnerability to extreme natural disasters.

The year 2025 was marked by unprecedented natural disasters across the globe, from wildfires in North America and Japan to cyclones, floods, and earthquakes in South and Southeast Asia. Millions were displaced, entire communities were destroyed, and economies were severely impacted.

The series of disasters underlined the growing risks posed by climate change, unplanned urban development, and extreme weather events.

The year 2025 opened with one of California’s most destructive wildfire episodes, as the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires tore through Los Angeles in early January. At least 30 people were killed, entire neighborhoods were destroyed, and thousands were left homeless. Nearly 200,000 residents faced evacuation, marking one of the largest winter evacuations in Los Angeles County history.

Fueled by prolonged drought, unusually warm winter temperatures, and powerful Santa Ana winds, the fires struck during what is typically a quieter season. Altadena was among the hardest-hit areas, with vast residential stretches razed. The Palisades Fire burned 23,400 acres and the Eaton Fire 14,000 acres, while extreme winds created rare “fire tornadoes” that complicated containment.

The human toll continued to climb even after the flames were contained. Search teams recovered victims from burn zones, and dozens of families remained in search of missing relatives. Authorities imposed curfews in evacuated areas to prevent looting. Later in January, the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake triggered evacuations for nearly 19,000 people, prolonging nearly a month of continuous emergency response.

In late February, northern Japan faced its worst wildfire in nearly 50 years in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture. The blaze consumed 2,600 hectares, larger than seven Central Parks, damaged over 80 buildings, and forced nearly 4,000 residents to evacuate, with advisories affecting 4,600 people. Thick smoke blanketed residential areas as flames advanced.

The fire was driven by exceptionally dry conditions, with just 2.5 mm of rainfall in February, the lowest in decades.

More than 2,000 firefighters from across the country, including teams from Tokyo and 14 prefectures, battled the blaze. 16 helicopters carried out continuous water drops over rugged terrain, though shifting winds and poor weather hampered efforts.

The wildfire also disrupted local industry, forcing factories and plants in evacuation zones to suspend operations. Relief efforts were supported by high-profile figures providing emergency supplies and financial aid.

In late March 2025, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake near Mandalay struck northern Myanmar, flattening towns, toppling buildings, and killing over 2,700 people. More than 4,500 were injured, and 400 remained missing, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Thousands were forced to sleep outdoors, fearing aftershocks or unable to return to destroyed homes.

This photo, taken on April 12, shows a damaged Buddha statue surrounded by debris at Lawkatharaphu Pagoda in Inwa on the outskirts of Mandalay, following the devastating March 28 earthquake.

Mandalay suffered the heaviest damage, with apartment complexes, religious buildings, and public facilities collapsing. Rescue teams, including 1,000 international responders, pulled nearly 650 people alive from the debris, including a 63-year-old woman trapped for over 90 hours.

The quake’s impact reached beyond Myanmar. In Thailand, at least 20 people died, most when a high-rise under construction collapsed. The disaster worsened Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis, as millions already displaced by civil conflict faced disrupted relief efforts. Damaged infrastructure and political instability prompted the junta to make an unusual appeal for international assistance.

Pakistan faced one of its deadliest monsoon seasons in 2025. Seasonal rains in late June escalated into weeks of floods and landslides, claiming over 700 lives and injuring nearly 1,000 people.

The deadliest phase struck in August, when five consecutive days of torrential rain devastated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Entire villages were swept away by flash floods and collapsing hillsides, killing nearly 400 people in under a week. Rescue teams worked through mud and debris under hazardous conditions, often suspending operations as fresh downpours continued. Homes, crops, and livelihoods were lost within minutes for many communities.

Beyond the north, flooding damaged roads, bridges, and communication networks, isolating remote areas and slowing relief efforts. Major cities, especially Karachi, faced severe urban flooding as overwhelmed drainage systems caused traffic chaos, power outages, and disruptions. Parts of Sindh and Balochistan also reported damaged homes and blocked highways. By September, Pakistan continued grappling with the destruction. The 2025 floods drew comparisons to 2022, when unprecedented rains submerged a third of the country and killed around 1,700 people, highlighting the nation’s extreme vulnerability to climate change.

India’s Himalayan region faced one of its deadliest monsoon seasons in decades, with successive floods and landslides causing widespread destruction and hundreds of fatalities.

Uttarakhand – Dharali (Aug 5): A flash flood swept through Dharali, burying entire buildings in mud and debris. At least 4 people died, and around 100 went missing. Videos captured multi-storey homes being swept away as residents fled. The India Meteorological Department recorded 21 cm of rainfall in isolated areas, triggering a red alert.

Kashmir – Kishtwar (Aug 14): A cloudburst struck Chisoti village, washing away homes and a pilgrims’ kitchen. 56 died, 80 were reported missing, and 300 were rescued, many seriously injured. The remote terrain and damaged roads hampered rescue operations.

Jammu & Reasi districts (Aug 30): Record-breaking rainfall caused floods and landslides, killing at least 11 people, including four children, with more missing. Rainfall records were shattered: 296 mm in Jammu and 629.4 mm in Udhampur, an 84% increase over previous benchmarks.

Vaishno Devi landslide: 41 lives were lost earlier in the season, emphasizing recurring hazards along pilgrimage routes. Experts warn that hill-cutting, construction in flood-prone valleys, and blocked waterways have weakened natural defenses, compounding disaster risk. The UN World Meteorological Organization called these events a “distress signal” of a changing water cycle.

Late in 2025, Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka, killing at least 465 people and leaving hundreds missing. The storm affected over 1.5 million residents, triggering floods and catastrophic landslides.

The tea-growing highlands were hardest hit, with entire mountainsides collapsing, destroying homes, roads, and plantations. Valleys were buried under mud and debris. Rescue teams, often using helicopters due to washed-out roads, continued recovery operations weeks later.

The economic toll was severe. Direct losses were estimated at $4.1 billion, about 4% of GDP, with infrastructure damage over $1.7 billion and housing losses nearing $1 billion. Total reconstruction costs could reach $6–7 billion.

The disaster hit as Sri Lanka was emerging from a deep economic crisis. Authorities declared a state of emergency and mobilised international support, with IMF emergency financing and World Bank funds redirected to recovery. Tens of thousands remained in shelters, and vast areas stayed cut off.

Despite these disasters, Swiss Re reported that global economic losses from natural disasters fell by 33% to $220 billion in 2025. Total insured losses from natural catastrophes were $107 billion, down 24% from 2024. The reduction was largely attributed to a milder North Atlantic hurricane season, with 13 named tropical storms, including three Category 5 hurricanes -- Erin, Humberto, and Melissa.

For the first time in a decade, none of these hurricanes made U.S. landfall.

Severe storms, including tornadoes, hail, and flooding, remained a persistent global loss driver, contributing $50 billion in insured losses. U.S. events alone accounted for 83% of global insured natural catastrophe losses. Insured losses from the Los Angeles wildfires topped $40 billion, marking the costliest wildfire event worldwide.

Southeast Asia experienced severe river and flash-flooding events in November, particularly in Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, though loss estimates were not yet available.

The year exposed the world’s growing vulnerability to extreme natural disasters.

From record-breaking wildfires and earthquakes to cyclones and monsoon floods, millions of people were displaced, communities devastated, and economies strained. This further underscores the urgent need for climate adaptation, disaster-resilient urban planning, and international cooperation to mitigate the impacts of increasingly frequent and severe weather events.