Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to make landfall between the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, southeast Queensland, late Thursday, March 6, or early Friday, March 7, 2025 (LT). Alfred will be the first cyclone to hit this part of Queensland since Wanda in 1974, bringing destructive winds and the risk of severe flooding.
A massive forest fire has burned approximately 1 400 ha (3 460 acres) in Akasaki Town, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture, since it broke out on February 26, 2025. This is now the largest wildfire in modern Japan history, surpassing the previous record of 1 030 ha (2 545 acres) set in Kushiro, Hokkaido, in 1992.
Two studies published in Nature Communications explore and provide insights into efficient planetary defense strategies. These studies came out during the period when 2024 YR4 made headlines with its potential for impact in 2032. The results provide valuable insights into how to create better planetary defense procedures based on the behavior of asteroid Dimorphos ejecta produced by NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission.
Nearly a month after satellites detected massive methane plumes spewing from Ethiopia’s Mount Fentale on January 31, 2025, new data shows emissions have declined since February 9—yet ongoing seismic unrest, including a magnitude 6.0 earthquake on February 14, keeps scientists and locals on high alert.
Schools in Santorini, Ios, Anafi, and Amorgos will remain closed at least until February 21, 2025, as the Greek government prepares for another meeting to assess seismic risks in the Aegean Sea near Santorini. Over 1 300 earthquakes were recorded with a magnitude above 3.0 in the sea area near Anydros since the beginning of the month, with the strongest reaching M5.3. The government also announced plans to build an emergency escape port in Santorini in addition to the new port under development.
Ios became the fourth island in the Aegean to be placed under a state of emergency on February 15, following the trend set by Santorini on February 6, Amorgos on February 12, and Anafi on February 13, due to the ongoing seismic activity in the region since late January 2025. On January 18, two M5.1 quakes were registered between Santorini and Amorgos, shaking the area with enough intensity to be felt across multiple islands.
Mount Spurr in Alaska remains in a state of volcanic unrest, with AVO detecting numerous shallow earthquakes on February 13, 2025, likely caused by magma movement beneath the volcano. While an eruption is not expected in the near term, ongoing activity suggests one could occur in the future, most likely at Crater Peak, which erupted explosively in 1953 and 1992.
A strong explosive eruption started at Mount Etna, Italy, at 09:30 UTC on February 12, 2025, prompting authorities to raise the Aviation Color Code from Orange to Red.
Over 12 800 earthquakes were recorded in the Santorini-Amorgos zone between February 1 and 10, 2025, with the strongest, an M5.3 event, registered at 22:16 LT (20:16 UTC) on February 10. In response, the Hellenic Red Cross (HRC) has deployed rescue teams, social workers, and psychologists to assist residents in the affected region.
A state of emergency was declared for the Greek island of Santorini on February 6, 2025, due to significant seismic activity affecting the region over the past 10 days. The measure was announced by General Vasilis Papageorgiou, Civil Protection Secretary, and will remain in effect until March 3. The most powerful earthquake recorded so far, measuring 5.2 in magnitude, occurred on February 5. The continuous seismic activity has led to the evacuation of over 10 000 residents and workers from the island.
