Iraq was hit by the worst sandstorm of 2025 this week, turning the sky from blue to orange haze. Visibility dropped to less than half a mile, causing travel disruption, with flights halted by two major airports, while streets in Basra, the largest city in southern Iraq, were deserted. Respiratory problems sent thousands of people to hospitals. The storm also affected Kuwait, where winds gusts exceed 50 mph and visibility is reduced to zero in some areas.
This huge cloud of dust originated in Saudi Arabia and was then bombed into Iraq. Despite the prevalence of sandstorms in Iraq, climate change is expected to intensify throughout the region in the future, a driving force for desertification in Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Meanwhile, the former tropical cyclone TAM hit the northern part of New Zealand’s North Island while spinning the Tasman Sea, causing extensive damage, including power outages, falling trees, flooded roads and flooded roads and flight delays. The storm first hit Wednesday night, with gusts of more than 80 miles in winds at Cape Reinga on the northern end of the island, the strongest gust recorded since 2017.
Tropical cyclones form on warm seawater, and rising air produces strong winds and heavy rain. They become pre-tropical cyclones as they move over cool waters. Despite the loss of tropical energy, they are still powerful because they gain energy from atmospheric temperature differences, thus increasing the size and bringing heavy rain and strong winds over large areas.
Wind, rainwater and thunderstorms have affected several areas, with the total rainfall reaching 200mm, in Coromandel near Auckland and Tasmann in the north of the South Island. As the whirlwind continues to move south, further bad weather warnings have been issued, sabotaging Easter weekends by delaying travel and sporting events.
Meanwhile, Storm Hans, the biggest of the 2024-25 European storm season, has been blasting the Alps since Thursday, causing extensive damage in northern Italy, northern Switzerland, southern Switzerland and southeastern France as the busy Easter weekend approaches. Tignes, a French ski resort, was forced to close with nearby roads as snow accumulated to one metre. At least another meter is expected to fall after a storm. Popular ski areas such as Vald’Isère, Chamonix and Les menus also have a significant snowfall. Level 5 avalanche warning was issued in the worst-affected areas, while heavy rains caused landslides and flooding at lower altitudes, thus roads and railways were closed.
