Mexico and the Caribbean are experiencing the most intense heatwave in their recorded history. The Mexican Plateau is being seared by harsh dry heat, while the Caribbean contends with deadly humid temperatures. On June 12, 2023, the mercury soared above 45 °C (113 °F) in several areas, including regions of high altitude.
A powerful EF-3 tornado struck Virginia Beach, Virginia, on April 30, 2023, damaging 115 homes and destroying 12. This is the most powerful tornado ever to hit the city, officials said on May 1.
A historic hailstorm hit Havana, Cuba on April 20, 2023, with hail the size never before seen in Cuba. This event will enter history books as one of the most important hailstorm events in known history.
In early March 2023, Peru was hit by Cyclone Yaku — the country’s first cyclone in 40 years. Its impact coincided with the beginning of the El Niño Costero phenomenon, extending the rainy season and leading to large-scale floods and landslides which forced the Government of Peru to declare a state of emergency in over half of the country. Heavy rains and flooding are expected to continue until June.
Asia is experiencing a record-breaking April heatwave this year, causing numerous fatalities and shattering temperature records across several countries. In most of Asia, the heat in March and April has been unprecedented.
A catastrophic flood event hit Fort Lauderdale, Florida on April 12, 2013, after extreme 508 mm (20 inches) of rain fell over the region in just 12 hours. Historic rainfall forced National Weather Service to issue a rare Flash Flood Emergency for Hollywood, Dania Beach, and Fort Lauderdale, warning residents a life-threatening situation was unfolding.
A major tornado outbreak hit a wide area of the U.S. Midwest and South on Friday, March 31, 2023, producing several large and destructive tornadoes. At this time, it appears the worst affected were Little Rock and Wynne in Arkansas.
17 atmospheric rivers and several non-atmospheric-river storms since December 2022 pushed California’s snowpack to its largest level in recorded history, surpassing the previous record set in 1982-1983. In addition, the state’s drought conditions have improved significantly since the start of the water year, with severe to exceptional drought conditions now covering only 6.99% of the area, down from 93% just one year ago.
Tropical Cyclone “Freddy” has left at least 582 people dead and hundreds missing in Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, and Mauritius. The worst affected was Malawi where at least 476 people lost their lives and 349 are still missing, as of March 20, 2023.
History is being made in the world of tropical cyclones, as Cyclone Freddy continues to make its mark. Born northwest of Australia on February 3, 2023, Freddy is now being called one-of-a-kind and the longest-lived cyclone ever documented.
