Several destructive tornadoes touched down in southern Plains on February 26, 2023, resulting in severe damage and power outages. The National Weather Service reported multiple tornadoes throughout the day, with winds of over 177 km/h (110 mph) causing significant damage in Texas.
A historic winter storm is currently affecting parts of California, particularly the San Francisco Bay area, where a 132-year-old daily temperature record was broken on Friday, February 24, 2023. In addition, a rare blizzard warning is in effect for the mountains of Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino. This is only the second such warning on record for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and the first for San Bernardino County’s peaks.
Two powerful winter storms are bringing widespread areas of wintry precipitation from coast to coast, leaving some 900 000 customers, or estimated 2.2 million people, without power. While heavy snow, significant icing, and blizzard conditions are affecting portions of the Upper Midwest eastward into the Northeast, heavy rain, snow, wind, and cold temperatures are impacting much of California. Dangerous travel conditions are expected.
MetService, the national weather agency of New Zealand, issued an Orange Warning for Heavy Rain for the Hawke’s Bay region, as a complex weather system continues to affect the country. The agency has grave concerns for vulnerable areas due to the already saturated terrain.
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.
Brazil’s southeastern coastal areas were hit with exceptionally heavy rainfall on February 18 and 19, 2023, causing floods and landslides that killed 40 people, injured 23 others, and displaced thousands more. The region experienced some of the country’s highest recorded rainfall totals for a 24-hour period, with Bertioga registering 694 mm (27.32 inches) and São Sebastião recording 649 mm (25.55 inches) during the same timeframe.
