> Floods, powerful winds, and an early-summer heat wave shattered weather records across the U.S. this year  > Seven major weather disasters in the U.S. resulted in $378 billion to $424 billion in total damage and economic loss this year, according to AccuWeather® estimates > A bomb cyclone, Category 5 hurricane landfall, and shrinking global ice levels set new weather records around the world  
 
 Get the latest updates in the AccuWeather Newsroom   AccuWeather® Global Weather Center – Dec. 29, 2025 – AccuWeather®expert meteorologists say 10 extreme weather events around the globe will go down in history as the most impactful, unusual, and record-shattering storms of the year.

January: Catastrophic wildfires tear through Southern California  

• Extreme winds gusting to 80-100 mph fueled fast-moving wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Southern California on Jan. 7 
• AccuWeather® experts estimate the total damage and economic loss from the Los Angeles County wildfires at $250 billion to $275 billion 

“Multi-million-dollar homes with priceless contents have already been lost in one of the world’s most expensive neighborhoods. There will also certainly be a decrease in real estate values in some of the affected areas as a result of the fires,” AccuWeather® Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.

January: Historic winter storm blasts the Gulf Coast 

• The year started with an unusual winter storm bringing snow, ice and freezing temperatures to much of the Gulf Coast on Jan 20-22. 
• New all-time total snowfall records were set in New Orleans; Mobile, Alabama; and Pensacola, Florida.  
• AccuWeather® experts estimate the total damage and economic loss from the historic Gulf Coast winter storm at $14 billion to $17 billion. 

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for a lot of these folks down there,” AccuWeather® Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines said. 

January: Generational bomb cyclone slams the UK and Ireland 

• A bomb cyclone hit parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland in late January, with wind gusts above 100 mph reported 
• A preliminary new wind record of 114 mph was reported in Ireland 
• The storm left more than 715,000 customers in Ireland without power 

February: Global sea ice reaches record low levels 

• The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported a new record low level of global sea ice in February 
• Scientists attributed the record low levels to an Arctic heat wave in February, limiting the normal growth of ice that month 

March: Wind records shattered across the US 

• Almost every city in the U.S. east of the Rockies reported its windiest March on record 
• Winds peaked on March 14, when extreme winds led to destructive fires, sun-blocking dust storms and several pileup crashes in the central U.S.  
• 124 high wind watches and 164 high wind warnings were issued across the country during the month of March, setting new records

June: The first E5 tornado confirmed since 2013 

• The first E5 tornado in the U.S. in 12 years was confirmed near Enderlin, North Dakota, on June 20 
• The mile-wide tornado had peak winds estimated over 210 mph.  
• The deadly tornado was one of two dozen tornadoes and a derecho reported that night 

June: Record-shattering heat baked the US 

• A powerful heat wave brought record temperatures from the Rockies to New England  
• More than 3,000 daily record-high temperatures were set between June 19-25 

July: Deadly flash floods in the Texas Hill Country 

• Torrential rainfall over the Independence Day holiday weekend triggered deadly flash floods that swept through campsites along the Guadeloupe River 
• A river gauge on the Guadalupe near Hunt, Texas, rose nearly 30 feet in six hours, peaking at a record level of 37.52 feet. 
• AccuWeather® experts estimate the total damage and economic loss from the Texas Hill Country flash flood disaster at $18 billion to $22 billion 

October: Hurricane Melissa shatters records in the Caribbean 

• A 252-mph wind gust measured in Hurricane Melissa set a new record for the highest wind speed reported by a dropsonde, which is a weather instrument released by Hurricane Hunter aircraft  
• Melissa was the only Category 5 hurricane to strike Jamaica in recorded history 
• AccuWeather® experts estimate the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Melissa across the Caribbean at $48 billion to $52 billion 

November: First year without a US hurricane landfall in a decade 

• Tropical Storm Chantal was the only named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this year 
• Three of the five hurricanes that formed in the Atlantic basin this year intensified into powerful Category 5 hurricanes 
• AccuWeather hurricane experts say the rare ‘Fujiwhara Effect’ between Hurricane Humberto and Imelda likely spared the southeastern U.S. from a flooding disaster in September 

“The U.S. benefited from a combination of unique atmospheric conditions, the timing of cold fronts pushing across the East Coast and a lot of luck to make it through the peak of the season without a single hurricane landfall,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.

Extreme Weather Impacts Cost More Than $300 Billion in the US in 2025 

AccuWeather experts say seven major weather disasters in the United States resulted in $378 billion to $424 billion in total damage and economic loss this year, according to preliminary estimates from AccuWeather® experts. 

• Catastrophic wildfires destroy neighborhoods near Los Angeles 
  $250B – $275B 

• Rare atmospheric river flooding and tornado outbreak in the central U.S. 
  $80B – $90B 
   
• Texas Hill Country flash flood disaster claims more than 100 lives 
  $18B – $22B 
   
• Historic winter storm brings snow to the Gulf Coast 
  $14B – $17B 
• More than 70 tornadoes strike the central U.S. during May outbreak 
  $9B – $11B 
• Tropical Storm Chantal triggers flash flooding in the Carolinas 
  $4B – $6B 
• October tropical wind and rainstorm causes widespread coastal flooding 
  $3B 

Additional AccuWeather® Resources:
 

Top 10 weather events of 2025 that smashed records 

Extreme Weather Impacts Cost More Than $300 Billion in the U.S. This Year, Significantly Less Than the Catastrophic Losses in 2024 

Rapidly intensifying storms and exceptionally warm waters highlight a dynamic 2025 Atlantic hurricane seaso

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