Throughout 2023, the extreme weather all around the globe, from heatwaves and droughts to hurricanes and floods. I've been taking a brief look at just some of the weather stories that have made the biggest impact over the past year.
January to March
The year started with a spell of extreme cold in China, where a new record low temperature of -53 Celsius was recorded.
Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere, two storms made the headlines. Former cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand with intense rainfall and 11-metre waves, and Cyclone Freddy became the longest-lived tropical cyclone on record as it brought floods to Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi.
April to June
Heatwaves gripped southern Europe and southern Asia. Drought intensified in eastern Spain, whilst wildfires raged in France. From India to Vietnam, there were school closures, melting roads and a sudden rise in heat-related deaths. After the heat in India came the rain as Cyclone Biparjoy left a trail of destruction across the state of Gujarat.
July to September
Summer in the northern hemisphere saw heatwaves develop from the south-west US to China. The area burned in the record-breaking Canadian wildfire season was seven times greater than seasonal average. Wildfires also swept across Hawaii, where the blazes destroyed most of the historic Maui town of Lahaina.
In September the most deadly storm in a decade developed in the Mediterranean. Storm Daniel produced six months' worth of rain in just 24 hours for eastern Greece. Then, as the storm hit the Libyan coast, the rain resulted in two dams failing and catastrophic flooding which claimed the lives of more than 4,000 people.
October to December
In Mexico, Hurricane Otis hit southern Mexico near Acapulco. It rapidly intensified and became the strongest hurricane in the eastern Pacific to make landfall in the satellite era. Meanwhile, in Europe, Storm Ciarán swept through the English Channel bringing flooding, travel disruption and power cuts to northern France, and Jersey was hit by its strongest tornado on record.
Will next year be even more extreme?
With some scientists prediction that the full effects of this El Niño event won't be felt until next year, there is the potential for 2024 to follow in 2023's footsteps in the list of very hot years, with more severe weather events likely. - BBC
