The following is a list of weather events that occurred (and are occurring) on Earth in the year 2023. The year saw a transition from La Niña to El Niño, with record high global average surface temperatures. The most common weather events to have a significant impact are blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones.
Deadliest events
Types
The following listed different types of special weather conditions worldwide.
Cold snaps and winter storms
In January, a cold snap in Afghanistan killed at least 166 people and more than 80,000 livestock. A national low temperature was set in Mohe City, China at , on January 23. Two days later, snow fell in Algeria for the first time in ten years.
Heat waves and droughts
Starting in April 2023, a record-breaking heat wave in Asia has affected multiple countries, including India, China, Laos and Thailand.
Tornadoes
An early-season tornado outbreak in the Southern United States was responsible for eight deaths and 53 injuries. On January 24, an EF3 tornado struck Deer Park, Texas, causing a tornado emergency. A storm complex in late February caused several tornadoes including a tornado that hit Cheyenne, Oklahoma that killed one. A rare tornado near Taif, Saudi Arabia killed one person and injured one more. Two separate tornado outbreaks between March 24–March 27 and March 31–April 1 caused 58 deaths and two EF4 tornadoes.
Tropical and subtropical cyclones
The first named tropical cyclone of the year was Cyclone Hale, which caused minimal damage and one death in New Zealand as an extratropical cyclone. Later in January, Cyclone Cheneso killed at least 33 people in Madagascar and left 20 missing. In addition, it damaged over 13,000 houses and 18 medical centers. In February, Cyclone Freddy formed and lasted until March 14, making it the longest lived tropical cyclone on record, surpassing Hurricane John of 1994, tracking across the entire Indian Ocean, the first to do so since Hudah and Leon-Eline in 2000. In addition, Freddy also recorded the highest accumulated cyclone energy of any tropical cyclone worldwide, at 87.01, surpassing the previous record of 85.26 by Hurricane Ioke in 2006. Freddy killed at least 1,434 people, and left 19 missing. In May, Cyclone Mocha formed and made landfall in Myanmar, killing 438 people and more than 101 missing. In June, Cyclone Biparjoy formed over the Arabian Sea and intensified into an extremely severe tropical cyclone, and made landfall in India, leaving at least 12 people dead.
Extratropical cyclones and European windstorms
Cyclone Helios which formed in early February brought recorded rain and humidity to Malta from 80 years. Luqa recorded rain with a total of 140.4 millimeters. meteo.it defined it as a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone as it dissipated on February 11. Storm Otto, also known as Storm Ulf, brought high winds to the United Kingdom, Norway, and Germany. The highest wind gust was recorded in Cairngorms, UK, at 193 km/h (120 mph).
Wildfires
Over 100 wildfires have been confirmed in Alberta, Canada, and 13,000 people have been evacuated. The 2023 Hawaii wildfires kill over 110 people in the town on Lahaina, Hawaii.
Timeline
This is a timeline of weather events during 2023.
January
In January 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented 30 weather-related fatalities and 162 weather-related injuries in the United States and Territories of the United States.