In 2025, winter sea ice in the Arctic hit an all-time low, according to NASA and the US’s National Snow and Ice Data Center. The annual peak, recorded on March 22nd, was the lowest in 47 years, with sea ice covering only 5.53m sq miles—around 1.1m less than last year and 30,000 sq miles below the previous low in 2017. Nearly no ice was observed in the Gulf of St Lawrence, and the Sea of Okhotsk had significantly lower than average sea ice extent.
In late January, Arctic sea ice extent suddenly decreased, losing an area as large as Italy (over 115,000 sq miles). This was attributed to cyclones driving southern winds in the Barents and Bering seas, causing ocean waves that shattered and melted the thin ice at the edge of the ice sheet. Temperatures soared up to 12C above normal in the area between northern Greenland and the North Pole.
Arctic sea ice is expected to keep shrinking in the upcoming years due to warmer temperatures, warmer seas, wind-induced ice breakups, thinner ice—all of which are intensified by the climate crisis. Some climate models predict that the Arctic could experience ice-free summers before 2050, though there is uncertainty in these projections.
Last weekend marked the beginning of an extended period of severe thunderstorms across central and eastern parts of the US, with this threat persisting throughout the week. On March 29th and 30th, severe weather events, including tornadoes, straight-line wind gusts of up to 96mph (154km/h), and 3in hail, were reported from the Great Lakes down to Texas. This initial round of severe weather will affect the eastern parts of the country on Monday.
The likelihood of severe weather intensifies on Tuesday, as an eastward-moving upper-level low interacts with the boundary between hot and humid air in the southern states and cold air in the north. Tuesday’s thunderstorms are forecasted to form from Minnesota to Texas, with the risk gradually shifting eastward during the latter half of the week. The storms will bring additional chances of damaging winds, very large hail, and tornadoes—some of which may be highly significant.
A pedestrian shields themselves from the rain during a downpour in Edinburg, Texas, last week.
Photograph: Joel Martinez/AP
The slow eastward movement of the storm system is expected to cause additional threats in the form of flooding, with heavy rain periods in some areas. The National Water Prediction Service forecasts a significant risk of flooding across an area from Louisville to Little Rock, with some places expected to receive 6-12in of rainfall this week.
