Floods in Delhi to Hurricane Idalia: 10 Extreme Weather Events That Defined 2023

As 2023 comes to a close, The Quint takes a look at the ten extreme weather events that defined this year.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

Close to 850 buildings in Uttarakhand's Joshimath developed cracks, the Chamoli district authorities shared in January this year.

Some of these buildings were declared "completely unsafe" and had to be demolished. Residents from many other buildings were evacuated.

Water discharge and hydrostatic pressure in the region were the main causes behind land subsidence or "sinking."

At least 24 people died in the Chile wildfires in February this year.

Close to 980 people were injured and over a thousand people had to be evacuated and sought refuge in camps, as over 40,000 hectares of land was burnt in the fires.

European scientists in a recent report said that 2023 was the "warmest year on record."

From April to August this year, many Asian countries reeled under heatwaves.

Temperatures in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, and Myanmar crossed 40 degrees Celsius on several days, reaching the 45 degrees Celsius mark many times too.

On the other hand, China crossed the 35 degrees Celsius on several days.

This June, New York was choking. Wildfire smoke from Canada caused a orange hue to take over the skies in NY. 

Large wildfires spread across Canada caused mass evacuations and burnt over 3.3 million hectares of land.

The water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi breached 205.33 metres or the danger mark in July 2023.

Around 27,000 people had to be evacuated from Delhi's low-lying areas as the river flooded several areas in North Delhi.

Hurricane Idalia hit Florida on 30 August. 

While making landfall on Florida's west coast, the hurricane swept away trees, caused power outages, and significant damage in the area.

It was estimated to be the costliest disaster in the United States in 2023 after having caused loss close to USD 9.3 billion.

At least 4,000 people in Derna lost their lives after Storm Daniel wreaked havoc, and two dams in the Derna Basin Valley were burst open.

Typhoon Haikui, which made landall in China's Fujian in September, led to incessant rainfall for several days.

Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from the low-lying areas.

Over 50 people died in North Sikkim after a sudden cloudburst over the Lhonak Lake led to increased water levels in the Teesta river and flooded the region.

At least seven people died in the United States after "a large cloud of fog" enveloped a highway and caused a major car crash, with 168 cars piling-up on each other.

According to Save The Children, globally at least 12,000 people lost their lives to extreme weather events this year.

India too witnessed extreme weather events almost every day, a report by the Centre for Science and Environment showed.

Between January and September 2023, India witnessed an extreme weather event almost everyday, a report from the Centre of Science and Environment recently showed.

As 2023 comes to a close, The Quint takes a look at the ten extreme weather events that defined this year.