In the past hundred years, humanity has built the airplane, landed on the moon, created enough weapons of mass destruction to wipe entire countries off the face of the earth, and advanced so fast in information technology such that the majority of it remains unable to catch up. Yet, before the might of nature, humanity is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Nature reminded us again, in not-so-easily-forgotten fashion, that it will not be tamed in spite of technology advancements so far.

[Wednesday, 25th June, 2025] After enduring several days of unbearable heat, France has now had to deal furious thunderstorms with powerful supercells sweeping through the north-east of the country. A low-pressure system that originated near Portugal tracked over an unusually warm Bay of Biscay towards northern France late on Wednesday, bringing a strong upper-level disturbance over land that had been intensely heated through the day. As a result, several long-lived supercells formed, producing large hailstones, frequent lightning, damaging winds and torrential rainfall.

Hailstones of up to 8cm in diameter rained upon France, laying property, crops, and vehicles in utter ruins. The hailstones were accompanied by heavy rainfall that occasioned flash flooding and fierce winds that brought down pylons and trees, brought about the deaths of two people, and brought 110,000 into darkness due to power cuts.

Over the course of the night, more than 70,000 lightning strikes were recorded. One lightning strike in Deux-Sévres, in the commune of La Peyratte, had an intensity of 517 kiloamperes, 20 times the average strike intensity. Just north-east of Paris, a gust of 140km/h (87mph) was recorded, the strongest of the outbreak, while supercells elsewhere produced winds up to 126km/h. One especially long-lived storm sustained gusts of 90-135km/h over several hundred miles as it travelled from the south-west corner of the country to its north-east. But nature was not yet done.

[Friday, 4th July, 2025] A devastating flood left over 100 people dead in Kerr County, Texas. Early on July 3, the National Weather Service issued a broad flood watch for south-central Texas, including Kerr County. As rivers in the region began to rise the next morning because of heavy rain, the agency upgraded its warnings.

The most urgent alert, sent just after 4 a.m., warned of a “particularly dangerous situation” and urged residents and campers to seek higher ground. Within about 90 minutes, the Guadalupe River had swelled from three feet to 34 feet, according to a river gauge near the town of Comfort, Texas.

Camp Mystic, a renowned summer camp for girls, has emerged as a major focus for Search-and-Rescue Missions. Positioned on the banks of Guadalupe, it was one of the properties that suffered considerable damage when the flood came rushing in. The campers were asleep when the river climbed 26 feet within 45 minutes on Friday. At the moment of this writing, several young campers and the camp’s longtime director, Richard “Dick” Eastland, are among the dead.

Experts have said there were a number of factors that led to the tragic floods in Texas, including the pre-dawn timing, the location of some homes and the extreme weather. Figures are changing quickly as rescuers continue to search for the missing, and officials say the death toll is certain to continue rising. Many of the bodies are yet to be formally identified.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. “We’re working very closely with representatives from Texas, and it’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible,” Trump said on Sunday in New Jersey.

[Tuesday, July 8th, 2025] The village of Ruidoso in New Mexico got its share of nature’s blows as heavy rains from slow-moving storms covered the region in a deluge. Local authorities reported that between 200 and 400 homes were damaged in the flooding, and about 65 swift water rescues were conducted in the flooding that killed three people, including two children.

Southern New Mexico was hit by wildfires in June 2024. Ruidoso was evacuated as two fires burned approximately 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of land on either side of the village. The National Weather Service (NWS) had warned that two “burn scars” around Ruidoso were high risk for flash-flooding, as the charred soil left behind by last year’s wildfires would be “as water-repellent as a pavement”.

Whether nature will stay its hands in the heavy rains of July remains to be seen. Whatever way it goes, humanity can only create contingency plans to deal with regions that are susceptible to natural disasters. After all, a wisp of smoke cannot block out the sun, and a mantis’s arm cannot change the universe.