Tropical Cyclone “Ilsa” made landfall as a Category 5 system near Port Hedland, Western Australia around 16:00 UTC on April 13, 2023 (00:00LT on April 14), as the strongest cyclone to hit the region in 14 years.
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.
Park City, Utah, has experienced record-breaking snowfall this winter, causing significant damage to homes and buildings. The weight of the snow has caused roofs to collapse, leaving many residents displaced and seeking temporary shelter.
Southern California faces a barrage of extreme weather as record-breaking rainfall, powerful wind gusts, and widespread power outages impact the region. At least 5 people lost their lives. While the torrential downpour provides relief from the long-term drought, it brings additional challenges, including flooding, flight cancellations, and complications for communities in the mountains still recovering from recent snowstorms.
This winter season in California has been one for the books, with snowpack statewide doubling the normal levels and much above what’s typical by April 1st, historically the deepest snow depth of the season. Despite widespread flooding and mandatory evacuations around rivers and creeks, the southern Sierra region, particularly Soda Springs, has seen an impressive amount of snowfall, marking the second snowiest winter on record with over 17 m (56 feet) of snow. While still shy of the record set during the 1951-52 season, with more snow predicted, it’s expected to come close in the next couple of weeks.
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.
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.
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.
Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska, has experienced a record-breaking amount of snowfall in recent months.
Thousands of buildings in New Zealand’s Auckland area are currently unsafe for living after the region was hit by extreme rainfall and severe flooding at the end of January. The amount of rain that fell in a matter of days made January 2023 Auckland’s wettest month in at least the last 170 years. The flooding has put the public’s focus on nature-based alternatives to traditional stormwater systems.
