A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the Kermadec Islands at 10:45 UTC on January 26, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 135.7 km (84.3 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.6 at a depth of 100 km (62 miles).
Tropical Cyclone “Cheneso” rapidly intensified after spending 5 days over Madagascar, bringing death and destruction. The system is expected to further intensify as it moves near the SW coast of the country over the next few days, bringing more heavy rainfall. Parts of northern Madagascar have already received more than 1 000 mm (40 inches) of rain.
At least 157 people have died in Afghanistan’s harsh winter as of January 24, 2023, with the death toll doubling in less than a week. Officials are describing this winter as the worst in a decade.
At least one person was killed and two others were injured when an M5.6 earthquake hit the Bajura district in western Nepal at 08:58 UTC on Tuesday, January 25, 2023. The USGS registered it at a depth of 25 km (15 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.6 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
On January 22, 2023, a massive rift on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica finally gave way, resulting in the formation of a new iceberg measuring 1 550 km2 (~600 mi2). The U.S. National Ice Center has named it Iceberg A-81. The rift, spanning most of the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica, appeared ready to spawn an iceberg in 2019, posing an uncertain future for scientific infrastructure and a human presence on the shelf that was first established in 1955 by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
Severe storms hit Texas, U.S. on Tuesday afternoon LT, January 24, 2023, causing widespread damage and leaving more than 100 000 homes without power. The NWS Storm Prediction Center received reports of 10 tornadoes by midnight UTC on January 25, with 7 of them happening in Texas and 3 in Louisiana.
The polar vortex, a large area of low pressure in the upper atmosphere that typically sits over the poles, is set to weaken as a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event unfolds in the northern hemisphere. This event has the potential to have a significant impact on winter weather, as it allows cold Arctic air to escape and cause outbreaks in Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States.
A rare outbreak of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) is in progress around the North Pole.
At least 2 people died and 7 went missing on January 22, 2023, after a sudden flood swept away families celebrating the Lunar New Year downstream of the Sanmenxia Dam Scenic Area on the Yellow River in Henan, China. The flood reportedly caused the water level in the river to rise by 1.8 meters (6 feet) in just six minutes, leaving little time for those affected to react.
A very deep earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.4 hit Santiago del Estero, Argentina at 18:37 UTC on January 24, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 601 km (373.4 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 584 km (362.9 miles).
