Compound extreme events—such as droughts fuelling wildfires, or heatwaves intensifying drought conditions—are becoming alarmingly common. These overlapping crises are more complex, harder to predict, and far more destructive than the sum of their parts. To protect societies and ecosystems, we must deepen our understanding of how these factors interact, and develop better tools for forecasting, risk assessment, and mitigation. Individual natural hazards are explored widely throughout the globe, though the exploration of compound extreme events is limited. This topical collection will allow us to emphasize the occurrence of compound extremes and probing their dynamics with details. Research on correlated climate extremes is advancing rapidly, bringing together expertise from climate dynamics, atmospheric science, boundary-layer meteorology, statistics, climatology, policy, and the social sciences. Projections suggest that changes in circulation patterns and regional feedback, such as land–atmosphere interactions, are likely to further intensify these risks. At the same time, cutting-edge advances in spatial statistics and extreme-value theory offer powerful new approaches to untangling this complexity. This special issue will call for original research that tackles these urgent challenges. We will invite contributions on the dynamics, forecasting, and risk assessment of compound extreme events, as well as strategies for adaptation and mitigation. Studies integrating modelling, theory, and observational data are especially encouraged. The special issue will be helpful and may serve as a guideline for a clearer understanding of these escalating threats—and chart pathways to reduce their impact.