More than 100 000 customers of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) in the Bay Area of San Francisco remained without power on Tuesday night, February 21, 2023, due to the strong winds that whipped the region.
A severe snowstorm wreaked havoc in Morocco’s southeast region on February 18 and 19, 2023, leaving 24 000 families in dire need of assistance and 87 villages isolated. The unprecedented levels of snowfall have led to road closures and the suspension of classes, while authorities and troops work tirelessly to provide aid to those in need.
Tropical Cyclone “Freddy” made landfall over the northern Vatovavy-Fitovinany Region in central-eastern Madagascar on February 21, 2023, with maximum sustained winds of 165 km/h (102 mph).
Tropical Cyclone “Freddy” is expected to make landfall between 15:00 and 18:00 UTC on February 21, 2023, over the north of the province of Vatovavy-Fitovinany, Madagascar. After moving over Madagascar, bringing strong winds and heavy rains, the system will exit into the Mozambique Channel, re-intensify and then make landfall over Mozambique.
A major winter storm is set to bring heavy snowfall from the West Coast to the Northeast over the next few days. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center has warned of multiple hazards across the country, including widespread heavy snow, blizzard conditions, a zone of sleet and freezing rain, high winds, severe thunderstorms and record low and high temperatures.
A sudden and unexpected surge of cold Arctic air has engulfed several regions of South America, shattering numerous cold records in its wake. Although it is currently summer in the southern hemisphere, including parts of South America such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and parts of Brazil, some areas have experienced a drastic and rapid shift in weather, going from a heat wave to frost in less than a week.
A very strong earthquake registered by the USGS and EMSC as M6.4 hit the Turkey-Syria border region at 17:04 UTC on February 20, 2023, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). This is an aftershock of the devastating M7.8 earthquake on February 6 in which more than 47 000 people lost their lives and more than 120 000 were injured.
Two excavator operators lost their lives during a large rockfall at Christkindl in Steyr, Austria on February 8, 2023. The tragic incident occurred despite efforts to mitigate the hazard at the site. The rockfall is estimated to be around 3 000 m3 (105 944 feet3) in total.
Remote communities in North Queensland are facing weeks of isolation as a “massive” logistical operation is underway to deliver supplies after heavy rainfall over the weekend. Despite being cut-off, graziers and locals have welcomed the rain, describing it as a “good flood.”
Heavy flooding in northern Romania caused severe damage to roads and disrupted rail services in Bistrita and Maramures counties. The deluge left homes and farmland flooded and triggered landslides.
