Part one: January - June, 2023 weather year-in-review

After a year of record-breaking weather and climate patterns, 2023 officially goes down in the history books. Here is part one of Weather & Radar’s 2023 year-in-review.

We kicked off the first week of 2023 with a Mississippi and Tennessee valley severe weather outbreak. This resulted in more than 65 tornado reports over three days. A week later, another severe outbreak rampaged the South. This eventually led to a record number of tornadoes – more than 100 – confirmed by the National Weather Service in the month of January.

By the middle of the first week of 2023, we were already noting the beginnings of a drought-squashing rain and snow pattern across California, which eventually left behind no drought in the state by the time the active period was over in March 2023.

Not to be outdone, we saw an unusual occurrence in January that ended up counting towards the number of tropical systems for 2023. Reanalyzed in July 2023, an unnamed subtropical storm formed between January 16th and 17th, making landfall along the coast of Nova Scotia.

We kicked off February by wrapping up an ice storm across the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of Texas residents. By the end of the first week of the month, a frigid Arctic blast brought Northeast dangerous low temperatures and wind chills.

The National Weather Service office in Albany, N.Y., marked temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below zero in the Northeast, with wind chills making it feel like minus-30 to minus-50, especially across the Adirondacks.

Winter was showing its true strength on February 22nd and 23rd as a large snowstorm hit the Upper Midwest. Minnesota’s Twin Cities had treacherous roads due to blizzard conditions.

By the end of the month, SoCal, including the Los Angeles mountains, was experiencing snow as a large winter storm rolled in. This storm eventually moved across the Plains and Midwest where severe weather erupted. Oklahoma recorded 13 tornadoes, the highest number of February tornadoes since records began in 1950.

Meteorological spring began and more tornadoes marked the beginning of the month across the southern Plains. Straight-line winds up to 80 mph were recorded on March 2nd in Fort Worth, Texas.

Just one week later, the first of two memorable atmospheric river events blasted California. A state of emergency was declared as extreme flooding took place with high risks for excessive rainfall issued.

The combination of heavy rainfall and rising temperatures, leading to mountain snowmelt, caused devastating flooding and evacuations. Five to 13 inches of rain piled up, with the additional event on March 14th, adding another 3 to 5 inches. 77 mph wind gusts also hit San Francisco, grounding flights temporarily.

In between the two California events, a powerful Nor’easter struck the Northeast leaving thousands without power, closed schools, and states of emergency issued. More than 30 inches of snow were picked up in some spots.

Another severe weather outbreak took place on March 24th, and in Rolling Fork, Miss., at least 23 people passed due to a devastating nocturnal tornado, later rated as a high-end EF-4 by the National Weather Service.

In March’s last days, the first high risks for severe storms since March 2021 were issued ahead of a severe outbreak along the Mississippi Valley. More than 700 severe weather reports were sent to the National Weather Service, and 163 of them were tornado reports stretching from the Deep South to southern Wisconsin.

More severe storms opened the month of April and a similar situation to the March 31st event unraveled on April 4th. Another tornado outbreak occurred but those in Bollinger County, Mo., remember the early-morning tornado that killed 5 and left 4 injured. This was rated an EF-2 (130 mph winds). The storm system shifted east the next day, resulting in more tornadoes from the Ohio Valley to Texas.

Severe storms dominated the headlines throughout April. On April 19, a deadly tornado hit McClain County, Okla., and other storms that erupted across the state that day injured 188 more.

By April’s final week, big hail was falling across Texas. Egg to apple-size hail caused extensive damage in the Lone Star State.

Not to be outdone, late-April cold temperatures across the Midwest caused loons to fall out of the sky!

A historic dust storm hit central Illinois on May 1st, causing 30 miles of highway to be closed and a deadly pile-up accident. Gusty winds, extending out in front of a late-season winter storm, blew dust and loose dirt, likely caused by recently plowed fields, lowering visibility just south of Springfield, Ill.

The first notable heat wave began hitting the West in May’s second week, a welcome change after such a cooler-than-average and wet first several months of the year. Places as far north as Seattle, Wash., and Portland Ore., set daily record high temperatures in the upper 80s and 90s by May’s second weekend.

Remember the Canadian wildfire smoke that made its way deep into the U.S.? This began in May 2023, dropping air quality and causing hazy skies.

Like clockwork, meteorological summer and the 2023 hurricane season began on June 1st and the first tropical invest was churning in the Gulf which would eventually become tropical depression 2 and Tropical Storm Arlene. While it did dissipate quickly into an unorganized disturbance, it dropped between 2 and 6 inches of flooding rain in South Florida.

The Canadian wildfire smoke made another appearance in the first full week of June. On June 7th, New York City recorded its worst air quality day on record.

This summer marked weeks of relentless heat across the southern Plains. Texas was already feeling heat indices in the 100s by Friday, June 16th. This heated trend would continue for months and would exacerbate the drought.

More severe storms were noted in June, especially in Louin, Miss., where a deadly nocturnal tornado literally ripped people out of their beds. One person was killed and 25 more were injured as this EF-3 tornado hit.

By the summer solstice on June 21, Tropical Storm Bret had formed but was no threat to U.S. land, thankfully.

Rounding out the month, a Midwest derecho erupted with 80 mph straight-line winds stretching from Missouri to Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and then Tennessee.

Be on the lookout for part two of the 2023 year-in-review on Saturday, December 30th.