The presence of a low level jet (LLJ), or strong wind in the lower atmosphere, combined with tropical moisture to create persistent heavy rain in the Auckland area on Friday, January 27, 2023, resulting in widespread severe flooding, destruction and casualties.
The minimum temperature at Jingtao automated weather station in the town of Amur, Mohe City in Heilongjiang Province, China fell to -53.0°C (-63.4°F) on January 22, 2023, marking the lowest temperate in the province and the lowest ever observed by the Chinese meteorological system.
On January 16, 2023, Iowa experienced a rare meteorological event as two tornadoes touched down in the eastern part of the state, marking the first January tornadoes in Iowa in 56 years. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the last time Iowa saw January tornadoes was in 1967 — with a total of 13 tornadoes during the month. While tornadoes are a relatively common occurrence in Iowa, with peak season typically taking place in May, January tornadoes are a rare phenomenon.
A massive Christmas winter storm buried parts of western New York with up to 109 cm (43 inches) of snow, leaving at least 27 people dead. Sadly, authorities said the death toll may rise because some people have been trapped in cars for more than two days. Nationwide, the death toll stands at 49, as of late December 26.
A massive and historic winter storm affecting much of the United States has left at least 37 people dead from December 21 to 24, 2022, and more than 1.1 million customers without power.
A high-level eruption occurred at Indonesia’s Semeru volcano on December 4, 2022, prompting authorities to raise the Alert Level from III to IV. The last major eruption at this volcano took place on December 4, 2021, leaving 51 people dead and several hundred others injured.
A new eruption has begun at Mauna Loa — the largest active volcano on our planet — on November 28, 2022. As a result, the Aviation Color Code was raised to Red. The last eruption at this volcano took place in 1984 (VEI 0).
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2022 WJ1 impacted Earth’s atmosphere over Niagara Falls at 08:27 UTC on November 19, 2022, becoming the 6th asteroid to be discovered before impacting Earth.
A new analysis published in Science shows the eruption at Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcano in Tonga on January 15, 2022, created the highest volcanic plume ever recorded. This is the first time a volcanic plume has been seen to penetrate the stratopause.
Researchers reporting in AGU’s Geophysical Research Letters show that the seismic swarm detected near Mt. Edgecumbe volcano in Southeast Alaska, U.S. in April 2022 was caused by magmatic activity taking place under this transform fault volcano previously considered dormant.
