The climate continues to deliver unexpected and dangerous surprises. We often fail to grasp the full consequences of weather anomalies — until they strike. The past week, from February 5 to 11, was a stark reminder of this reality.
Middle East: Unusual Cold and Storms
A low-pressure system carrying cold polar air swept across the Middle East starting February 5:
- Lebanon: Heavy snowfall in the Bekaa Valley led to road closures.
- Jordan: The north and central regions were hit by extreme rainfall, with Ajloun receiving 1.5 months' worth of precipitation in a single event. Meanwhile, Maan experienced a powerful sandstorm on February 6, reducing visibility to near zero and causing travel disruptions.
- Israel: A winter storm brought a sharp drop in temperatures, leading to one fatality due to hypothermia and another person hospitalized in critical condition.
- Iran: Severe cold, snow, and floods affected thousands. The Gilan province experienced record-breaking rainfall, with the city of Rasht receiving 107mm of rain in just 24 hours, triggering major flooding.
Global Disasters Escalate
- Caribbean: A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the region, triggering a tsunami threat.
- Brazil: Heavy rains caused floods and landslides, affecting thousands.
- United States: Starting February 6, a series of powerful winter storms brought freezing rain, snow, and tornadoes, leading to chaos on the roads and flight cancellations. The Mid-Atlantic region saw ice accumulations up to 11mm thick.
- Kentucky: Multiple tornadoes touched down.
- Tennessee: A devastating EF-2 tornado killed two people and injured three others.
- China: A catastrophic landslide buried 29 people under tons of earth.
- Japan: Record-breaking snowfall blanketed Obihiro in Hokkaido with 120 cm of snow in just 12 hours, the most ever recorded in the country’s history.
- Iceland: One of the most powerful storms in years battered the country, damaging infrastructure. The storm was accompanied by lightning and thunder, an extremely rare phenomenon for Iceland’s subarctic climate, especially in winter.
- Russia: A massive anticyclone set new atmospheric pressure records, unexpectedly causing aviation disruptions.
The Hidden Risks We’re Not Prepared For
Once again, these events prove that humanity knows far too little about the changing climate and is ill-prepared for extreme natural anomalies. Could drivers in Russia have predicted that an anticyclone would bring unexpected mechanical failures? And that’s just a minor issue compared to the real dangers ahead.
Our societies — especially critical infrastructure — depend heavily on electronics, which can be severely impacted by natural forces.
As climate disasters escalate, hidden risks will multiply. We must unite global scientific expertise to understand the deeper causes of the climate crisis, uncover all its hidden dangers, and — most importantly — find a way to solve it before it’s too late.
Are we ready for what’s coming? Let’s discuss this in the comments.