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January 1, 2026 - Floods and Dust in Iran
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Unsettled weather brought floods, strong winds, and even sand and dust storms across Iran in late December 2025.
On December 31, ReliefWeb posted that, “Since 15 December 2025, a series of intense and unstable weather systems has caused heavy rainfall, flash floods, river overflows, and widespread waterlogging across large parts of Iran, resulting in significant humanitarian impacts in both urban and rural areas.” The damaging event affected 25 provinces nationwide, including in the north and southwest. Floods have affected 335 locations, with 7 fatalities confirmed and at least 16 people injured. The fatalities were confirmed in Fars, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan. The ReliefWeb report continues to affirm that, “The widespread geographical coverage and continued impact of the floods have generated extensive humanitarian needs, particularly related to shelter, evacuation, basic relief assistance, and safety of affected populations.”
One rarely thinks of flooding accompanied by dust and sandstorms. But, as this true-color image acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on December 31 confirms, that’s exactly what happened.
Despite the recent rain, Iran remains an arid country filled with widespread deposits of sand and dust—and is experiencing widespread drought. Strong, gusting wind that accompanied the current unsettled weather lifted tremendous amounts of dust from arid eastern Iran and then carried it southward over the Gulf of Oman. The dust is so thick that it obscures the land underneath from view. Ripples in the suspended dust in the southern section of the image are caused by turbulence in the air that carries it along. The turbulence is likely the result of air moving over the hilly landscape near the coast of southeastern Iran. The flooded areas are concentrated to the west and north of this image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/31/2025
Resolutions:
1km (234 KB), 500m (520.9 KB), 250m (709.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Unsettled weather brought floods, strong winds, and even sand and dust storms across Iran in late December 2025.
On December 31, ReliefWeb posted that, “Since 15 December 2025, a series of intense and unstable weather systems has caused heavy rainfall, flash floods, river overflows, and widespread waterlogging across large parts of Iran, resulting in significant humanitarian impacts in both urban and rural areas.” The damaging event affected 25 provinces nationwide, including in the north and southwest. Floods have affected 335 locations, with 7 fatalities confirmed and at least 16 people injured. The fatalities were confirmed in Fars, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan. The ReliefWeb report continues to affirm that, “The widespread geographical coverage and continued impact of the floods have generated extensive humanitarian needs, particularly related to shelter, evacuation, basic relief assistance, and safety of affected populations.”
One rarely thinks of flooding accompanied by dust and sandstorms. But, as this true-color image acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on December 31 confirms, that’s exactly what happened.
Despite the recent rain, Iran remains an arid country filled with widespread deposits of sand and dust—and is experiencing widespread drought. Strong, gusting wind that accompanied the current unsettled weather lifted tremendous amounts of dust from arid eastern Iran and then carried it southward over the Gulf of Oman. The dust is so thick that it obscures the land underneath from view. Ripples in the suspended dust in the southern section of the image are caused by turbulence in the air that carries it along. The turbulence is likely the result of air moving over the hilly landscape near the coast of southeastern Iran. The flooded areas are concentrated to the west and north of this image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/31/2025
Resolutions:
1km (234 KB), 500m (520.9 KB), 250m (709.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
