Global Weather Disruptions Continue in February of 2023

Extreme global weather fueled wildfires, historical droughts, and unprecedented flooding in 2022; experts predict this phenomenon will continue into 2023. In January, most of the US was struck by major storms with record-breaking temperatures and rainfall from the Arctic to Mexico. Similar weather events also hit Europe, Australia, and Asia.

More than 304,000 homes and businesses are currently without power in the US following severe weather events that wreaked havoc across the country last week.  

Over the weekend, California was hit with record snow, ice, and flooding causing power outages, road closures, and trucking delays due to rockslides and icy conditions. Seven tornadoes tore through Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, and Ohio leaving people without power. More than 196,000 homes and businesses were still without power in Michigan after a major ice storm damaged essential infrastructure last week.  

Meanwhile, wind gusts reached 114mph, equivalent to category three hurricanes in Memphis, Texas. Finally, despite the icy weather to the north, the dry winds in Texas also prompted forecasters to warn of critical fire-weather conditions across the panhandle and into eastern New Mexico.

Millions of people across the US continue to brace for extreme storms with threats of strong winds, possible tornadoes, and heavy snow this week.  

On the other side of the world, severe storms and strong winds have caused damage, flooding, and power outages in Sydney, Australia, and the New South Wales Central Coast. In addition, more than 22,000 lightning strikes were detected within 100km of Sydney over 12 hours on Tuesday.  

Heavy rains and flooding continue to that hit Jakarta, Indonesia, with over 100 neighborhoods in Jakarta and the surrounding areas already impacted. More rain is being forecasted in the coming days.

China has warned several regions to prepare for more severe weather this year after record-breaking temperatures and extreme drought wreaked havoc with the country's power supplies. Southern areas of China especially were warned to brace for more persistent high temperatures and to ensure that energy supplies are available to meet the peak summer demand. In contrast, the northern regions were warned to prepare for heavy floods.  

In Summary

Weather events create casualties and human suffering and can have devastating economic and supply chain impacts. Natural disasters caused by severe weather are traditionally considered “force majeure” events if they impact suppliers’ ability to deliver their goods, resulting in shortages.

As weather-related incidents intensify, businesses should strengthen their supply chains by building early disruption mitigation plans and diversifying sourcing. Learn more on how Z2Data can help.