Weather of 2025

Types

In January, an unusual cold snap brought extremely cold temperatures to much of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making it the coldest January in much of North America in at least 10 years. Temperatures were 20–35 F-change below average across a majority of the United States, driven by the polar vortex pushing south after an arctic front on January 2. The lowest temperature recorded was -36 C in parts of Saskatchewan, Canada. A nor'easter from January 18–20 brought several inches of snow to parts of the Northeast, with most of New Jersey receiving 4-6 in and thundersnow reported near Essex County; Central Park, New York City saw 1.6 in, while Highland Mills, New York recorded 8.1 in.

A historic blizzard struck the Gulf Coast from January 20–22, bringing blizzard conditions and heavy snow to areas that typically see little to no snow. States of emergency were declared in Florida and Mississippi. For the first time, blizzard warnings were issued in parts of coastal Louisiana and coastal Texas. Up to 6 in of snow fell in parts of the Greater Houston area, with Beaumont setting an all-time low of 11 F. In Louisiana, 13.4 in of snow fell near Grand Coteau, the highest Gulf Coast snowfall, with 10 in in New Orleans and 8 in in Baton Rouge; Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and New Iberia set record lows of 7 F, 4 F, and 2 F respectively.

Mississippi saw 9 in in Ocean Springs and 6.5 in near Gulf Park estates. Alabama recorded 11 in in Babbie and 7.5 in at Mobile Regional Airport, breaking its record. Florida saw 10 in in Milton and 8.9 in in Pensacola, shattering the statewide record. In Georgia and the Carolinas, Cordele, Georgia received 9 in, with a wide area of southwest Georgia seeing 4-6 in.

Timeline

Cyclone Dikeledi struck Madagascar and Mozambique from December 30, 2024 to January 17, 2025, killing 9. The Southern California wildfires from January 7–31 caused 30 deaths, with the Eaton Fire burning 14,021 acres and the Palisades Fire burning 23,448 acres, becoming the second and third most destructive wildfires in California history. A winter storm on January 9–11 brought 2.1 in of snow to Atlanta, Georgia, the biggest snowstorm there in several years.

A storm system on February 15–16 caused flash flooding and tornadoes in parts of the United States, leaving at least 18 dead, with flooding in Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Virginia. The deadliest tornado outbreak since 2021, also the largest in March and the costliest on record, occurred March 13–16 across the United States. On March 26–27, the Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a high of 30.3 C in Saiki and Takanabe, and 30.2 C in Saito in eastern Kyushu, the first March temperature over 30 C outside the Ryukyu and Bonin Islands; temperatures of 25-29 C were recorded in many places in Honshu.

From April 2–7, a slow-moving weather system and stationary front caused a widespread tornado outbreak and historic flash flooding across the Southern and Midwestern United States. Heavy rain from May 13–20 brought extensive flooding to Western Maryland and Pennsylvania, leading to school evacuations and states of emergencies in some boroughs. On May 16, an EF4 tornado killed 20 in Laurel County, Kentucky, and a strong tornado in the St. Louis metropolitan area killed four.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported May 2025 as the second warmest May globally, 0.12 C-change cooler than May 2024 and 1.40 C-change above the pre-industrial level, ending a 21-month streak of global temperatures more than 1.5 C-change above pre-industrial levels.