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Japan experienced an extraordinary snowfall that put the country in the global spotlight as a record-breaking cold front hit Hokkaido, Japan, dumping 120 cm (4 feet) of snow in just 12 hours, disrupting travel and driven by a powerful cold front that swept through the region. The Polkus base also recorded an astonishing 6 meters of snow, one of the deepest in the world in recent years. Resorts such as Happo-One in the Hakuba Valley also boasted massive bases, with depths approaching 5.5 meters (18 feet), while Tengendai Kogen later reached 7.2 meters (23 feet) by the end of February.

This record-breaking accumulation was part of a broader wave of extreme winter weather, driven by phenomena like the Siberian Express, which funneled cold air and heavy snow across Japan.

Meanwhile, Mammoth Mountain in California received 91 cm (3 feet) of snow in a single day, while Montreal broke its snowfall record with 75 cm (29.5 inches) over four days, prompting residents to stay indoors.

These events tied to a disrupted jet stream and La Niña activity, flipped the script on where snow usually falls, making February 2025 one for the books! If this pattern continues, we're likely to see unusually cold temperatures and snow even in early spring.

Beyond the cold, February brought devastating flooding and rainfall events. Extreme hailstorms hit Bahía Blanca, Argentina, turning a routine day into chaos as massive hailstones - some reportedly rivaling the largest ever recorded - tore through the region. A powerful supercell storm unleashed violent winds, heavy rain and hail so intense that it tore through the roof of a Cooperativa Obrera supermarket, sending shoppers scrambling for cover as ice and debris flooded the aisles. The rare event underscored the area's reputation as a thunderstorm hotspot, similar to the U.S.'s Tornado Alley, with meteorologists noting its potential to produce record-breaking hail due to extreme atmospheric instability. The storm left 16 dead, thousands displaced, and a trail of property damage.

Queensland, Australia, received 39 inches of rain in 48 hours, causing widespread flooding, while severe flash flooding hit Sydney after 3 inches of rain fell in just one hour - 13 times the normal February amount. In Brazil, São Paulo and Pariquera-Açu faced relentless rain, with the latter seeing 4 inches in one hour, 63% of its normal February total.

Europe and the Middle East weren't spared either. The Italian island of Elba experienced severe flash flooding with 2.5 inches of rain in one hour, while Iraq's desert areas, unaccustomed to such weather, received 6 inches of rain in 24 hours, triggering unexpected flash floods. In Ecuador, deadly floods devastated the southern city of Cuenca, where 1.6 inches of rain in just 30 minutes killed two people and left a trail of destruction. These global flooding events underscored the month's erratic and powerful weather patterns.

All that, and more, in this month's SOTT Earth Changes Summary:

Or watch on Odysee.

To understand what's going on, check out our book explaining how all these events are part of a natural climate shift, and why it is taking place now: Earth Changes and the Human-Cosmic Connection

Check out previous installments in this series - now translated into multiple languages - and more videos from SOTT Media here, here, or here.