As the nation watched in shock and horror as the Palisades Fire brought Los Angeles to its knees, a group of civilians stepped up to defend their home turf.

From deadly wildfires in California to deadly floods in central Texas to severe weather and an early winter in central Illinois… we reviewed 2025's biggest weather stories.

Firefighters battling the massive Thomas Fire northwest of Los Angeles were working against another round of high winds to prevent its spread to homes in Santa Barbara and Montecito.

The Thomas Fire in Southern California has raged for nearly two weeks, and on Saturday new evacuation orders were issued in Santa Barbara County as a local zoo made preparations to move some of its animals out of the danger zone.