Ag Weather Forum              01/02 09:37

   2025 Extreme Weather Across the US, From Fires to Flooding

   From raging wildfires to catastrophic flooding and dangerous tornado 
outbreaks, the weather in 2025 was historic in more ways than one.

Teresa Wells
Meteorologist

   In more ways than one, the weather made headlines throughout 2025. Parts of 
the South in the United States saw heavy snow in January while California saw 
raging wildfires. Severe storm outbreaks made an early appearance in March 
while a 12-year drought of EF-5 rated tornadoes ended in June with a storm that 
moved through North Dakota.

   Later in the summer, historic flooding struck Texas Hill Country. While no 
hurricanes from the Atlantic or Gulf of America made landfall in the U.S. 
throughout the summer and fall, Hurricane Erin edged close to the U.S. East 
Coast, creating deadly surf and rip currents. Winter started making an 
appearance in late November and early December with heavy snowfall and a blast 
of Arctic air. Flooding also affected the Pacific Northwest towards the end of 
2025.

   Mother Nature reminded us we need to be vigilant when it comes to weather. 
From heavy snow to severe storms and flooding, there were 10 weather events 
that stood out in 2025 that were both historic and unfortunately deadly.

   GULF COAST STATES SEE SNOW

   2025 started off with record snowfall and blizzard conditions along the Gulf 
Coast from Jan. 20-22. High levels of moisture from the Gulf of America drifted 
north, moving over a very cold airmass that was near the surface, leading to 
snow from southeast Texas into the eastern Carolinas. The National Weather 
Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana, issued its first ever blizzard warning as 
heavy snow and high winds moved across the state from Jan. 21-22. Record 
snowfall was recorded for many areas along the Gulf Coast but Pensacola, 
Florida, came in at 10 inches on Jan. 21. This challenged the record for the 
snowiest day ever recorded in Florida.

   RAGING WILDFIRES IN CALIFORNIA

   While snow and Arctic air affected the Gulf Coast early in the year, 
wildfires were raging across southern California. Two of the most notable 
wildfires, the Palisades and Eaton fires, affected Los Angeles County and 
burned just over 37,000 acres. Both fires started on Jan. 7, and they spread 
rapidly due to pre-existing drought conditions and Santa Ana winds. Santa Ana 
winds blow from east to west as cool, dry air moves down the side of mountains 
and heats up. Wind gusts can often exceed 50 mph with Santa Ana winds and as 
the Palisades and Eaton fires started in early January, off and on Santa Ana 
wind events made it difficult to extinguish these fires. They were finally 
contained by Jan. 31 but ended up burning more than 16,000 structures.

   SPRING SEVERE STORM OUTBREAK

   By early spring, the right ingredients came together for a severe storm 
outbreak in the center of the country. One notable event occurred on March 
14-15 across the Mid-Mississippi Valley and Southeast. According to the Storm 
Prediction Center, there were a total of 95 tornado reports on March 14 with an 
additional 74 on March 15. Strong south winds forced moist air from the Gulf 
north and when combined with high wind shear, or winds that change direction 
and speed with height in the atmosphere, the environment was ripe for tornadic 
storms. There were 80-mph winds around 3,000-4,000 feet above the ground 
recorded with this storm system as well. DTN had warned of the dangerous 
situation as it was setting up: 
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/blogs/ag-weather-forum/blog-post/2025/0
3/14/major-severe-weather-outbreak-bomb-3.

   SECOND TORNADO OUTBREAK

   A second tornado outbreak occurred across the Upper Midwest and Ohio Valley 
on May 15-16. One storm managed to produce an EF-4 tornado just south of 
Marion, Illinois. On the Enhanced Fujita Scale or EF Scale, damage estimates 
match wind gusts near 166-200 mph to be classified as an EF-4. National Public 
Radio stated at least 27 people died as multiple tornadoes moved through 
Kentucky and Missouri in mid-May. To read more about the destruction and 
devastation these storms caused, visit: 
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/17/nx-s1-5402053/tornadoes-kentucky-missouri-deaths.
 Also see how much the tornado numbers were climbing by that point of the year, 
according to DTN: 
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/blogs/ag-weather-forum/blog-post/2025/0
5/28/tornado-numbers-climbing-charts-2025.

   EF-5 TORNADO IN NORTH DAKOTA

   Later in June, an EF-5 tornado near the town of Enderlin, in southeast North 
Dakota, ended more than a decade-long drought of EF-5 tornadoes in the U.S. An 
EF-5 rating is the highest on the EF Scale with wind speeds over 200 mph. The 
last time the U.S. saw an EF-5 tornado was in Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20, 2013. 
According to a report by the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North 
Dakota, the tornado that came close to Enderlin had winds more than 210 mph as 
it tipped over several fully loaded grain hopper railcars. It also tossed an 
empty tanker car about 475.7 feet. Additional details regarding this tornado 
can be found here: https://www.weather.gov/media/fgf/Enderlin.pdf. Also see 
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2025/06/23/nd-governor-dec
lares-disaster-100-3, written at the time before the EF-5 rating was determined.

   TORRENTIAL RAINS, FLASH FLOODS IN TEXAS

   Flooding entered the headlines around early July as torrential rainfall hit 
Texas Hill Country. Kerr County, Texas, took the brunt of the damage from the 
flash flooding as the Guadalupe River rose over 20 feet in a matter of a few 
hours. More than 100 people lost their lives as the river rapidly rose. The 
Weather Prediction Center issued a statement early in the morning on July 4 
that hourly rainfall would exceed 2-3 inches as the air had plenty of moisture 
from the Gulf of Mexico (America) and the tropical east Pacific. 
Satellite-derived precipitation estimated that nearly 6 inches of rain fell 
across parts of central Texas from July 3-5. See more on the flood at 
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/blogs/ag-weather-forum/blog-post/2025/0
7/17/summer-floods-show-continued-heavy.

   LACK OF HURRICANES FOR US

   Amongst the flooding and severe weather throughout the summer months, 
hurricanes started developing in the Atlantic. The 2025 Atlantic Hurricane 
season proved to be near normal in terms of the number of named storms and 
hurricanes that developed. However, no hurricanes made landfall across the 
U.S., and the Gulf of Mexico (America) only had one tropical system. Out of all 
the tropical storms and hurricanes that developed in the Atlantic in 2025, 
Hurricane Erin got close enough to the East Coast to threaten coastal 
communities with life threatening surf and rip currents from Aug. 19-21. Waves 
were nearly 50 feet high in the storm's center but closer to the East Coast, 
elevated seas caused tidal flooding and extensive beach erosion.

   POST-THANKSGIVING WINTER STORM

   Later in the fall, winter started making its appearance, especially across 
the Midwest. Shortly after Thanksgiving, a significant winter storm pushed 
through eastern Iowa, Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and Indiana. Snowfall 
reports came in right at 12 inches in northeast Illinois, near Winthrop Harbor 
and Lake Forest. Snow totals were high enough to break records for the month of 
November and cause significant travel delays post-Thanksgiving. See what 
influenced it at 
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/blogs/ag-weather-forum/blog-post/2025/1
1/26/big-winter-storm-push-arctic-air.

   PLUMMETING TEMPERATURES AFTER STORM

   Shortly after the Midwest's winter storm, the first blast of Arctic air from 
Canada made its appearance across the U.S. Around Dec. 7, low temperatures 
started plummeting into the teens below zero across the Northern Plains. 
Temperatures bottomed out in the 20s across Kansas and Oklahoma on Dec. 8. For 
more, see 
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/blogs/ag-weather-forum/blog-post/2025/1
2/02/pushes-cold-air-first-week-december and 
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/blogs/ag-weather-forum/blog-post/2025/1
2/08/strong-clipper-system-moving-us.

   PNW SEES MAJOR FLOODING

   To cap off major weather events across the U.S. in 2025, major flooding hit 
the Pacific Northwest around Dec. 8-12 as an atmospheric river came crashing 
into Washington and Oregon. An atmospheric river is a corridor in the 
atmosphere that is very efficient at transferring water vapor from the tropics. 
The water vapor will eventually lead to heavy rain or snow if the atmospheric 
river reaches land. Additionally, higher elevation land, such as the Cascade 
Mountain range, can enhance precipitation too. Extensive flooding caused 
landslides and 49 miles of U.S. Highway 2 had to be closed due to damage from 
landslides and flooding. Four-day precipitation totals on Dec. 12 showed 15-20 
inches in southeast King County, Washington. The Seattle-Tacoma airport broke a 
rainfall record on Dec. 10, clocking in at 1.6 inches throughout the day, 
beating the old record of 1.55 inches set in 1977.

   If you're interested in reading further about some of these extreme weather 
events that took place throughout the year visit more links below:

   -- January 2025 historic cold and snow in the South: 
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/historic-january-2025-snowst
orm-southern-us.

   -- January 2025 southern California wildfires: 
https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/207915.pdf.%20%20 

   -- March severe weather outbreak across the Mississippi Valley and 
Southeast: https://www.weather.gov/pah/Mar14-15_2025Severe.

   -- Tornado outbreak in the Midwest and Ohio Valley in May: 
https://www.weather.gov/pah/2025May16_Severe .

   -- Texas Hill Country flooding: 
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaa-satellites-inform-warning-the-texas-hill-c
ountry-floods .

   -- Hurricane Erin's impacts to the East Coast: 
https://www.noaa.gov/stories/hurricane-erin-when-distant-storms-pose-danger-to-a
mericas-coastal-communities.

   -- Post-Thanksgiving winter storm in the Midwest: 
https://www.weather.gov/lot/2025_11_29_WinterStorm#:~:text=Chicago%2C%20IL-,Novemb
er%2029%2D30%2C%202025%3A%20Post%2DThanksgiving%20Winter%20Storm,of%20Snow%20to%
20the%20Region&text=A%20large%20winter%20storm%20brought,29th%2C%20the%20Saturda
y%20after%20Thanksgiving .

   -- Pacific Northwest flooding: 
https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e-event-summary-8-12-december-2025/#:~:text=Five%20stream
%20gages%20experienced%20record,US%2012%2C%20and%20SR%20410.

   Teresa Wells can be reached at teresa.wells@dtn.com




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