Just days after Storm Aline set rainfall records in Spain, Storm Bernard unleashed its fury over Morocco and Southern Spain on October 21 – 22, 2023. The storm caused extensive damage to Morocco’s key agricultural region of Larache and resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries in Spain.
A long-duration, early-season snowstorm began Tuesday afternoon, October 24, 2023, across portions of the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, and Northern High Plains. Moderate to heavy snowfall is forecasted for these locations over the next few days. Heavy snow bands will likely result in hazardous travel conditions and poor visibility.
Increased seismic activity has been recorded at Bogoslof volcano in Alaska since October 21, 2023, leading authorities to raise the alert level.
Tropical Storm “Otis” explosively intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in just 12 hours and continued intensifying on its way toward Mexico where it made landfall at 06:25 UTC on October 25, 2023, as a Category 5 hurricane. This is now one of the fastest-intensifying hurricanes in the world’s history.
Tropical Cyclone “Hamoon” formed on October 23, 2023, as the 4th named storm of the 2023 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Hamoon approached the coast of Bangladesh on October 24, and made landfall over Cox’s Bazar at around 16:00 UTC with maximum 10-minute sustained winds between 110 km/h (70 mph) and 120 (75 mph).
The center of Tropical Cyclone “Lola” approached the islands of Maewo, Pentecost, and Ambae in Vanuatu at around 12:00 UTC on October 24, 2023, with maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). A Red Alert is now in effect for Torba, Sanma, Penama, Malampa, and Shefa, and a Blue alert for Tafea Province.
Tropical cyclone “Tej’ made landfall on Yemen’s southern coast on October 23, 2023, resulting in at least one death and significant infrastructural damage in Al-Mahra Governorate. The cyclone is expected to weaken and dissipate by October 25.
On October 22, 2023, Fairbanks, Alaska experienced an uncommon surge in snowfall, with the National Weather Service (NWS) Fairbanks office recording 8.9 cm (3.5 inches) of snow on that day alone. The snow depth in the region has reached 22.9 cm (9 inches), pushing the seasonal total to a remarkable 36.3 cm (14.3 inches), which is nearly double the usual amount for this time of year.
Dense fog and smoke have combined to form what is known as super fog, heavily impacting Interstate 55 in Louisiana’s St. John the Baptist Parish on Monday morning, October 23, 2023, and leading to a massive vehicle pileup in which at least 7 people lost their lives and more than 25 were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical.
Entire crops were lost and farmlands inundated as Storm Babet struck Scotland between October 19 and 22, 2023. The River Esk in Brechin overflowed its 3.8 m (12.5 feet) high flood walls, leading to unprecedented flooding in areas like Angus and Perthshire.
