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## Timeline

### **January**

January was well below average in terms of named storms but average on storm intensities.

The month (and year) started off with Cyclone Dingani on January 2nd. Dingani intensified to a Category 3 by January 6th in the far southeast Indian Ocean before turning post-tropical by January 9th out to sea.

During January 6th, a subtropical storm formed near the Canary Islands, bringing stormy conditions to the region. The NHC would later classify the storm as 01L during post-storm analysis.

Cyclone Kevin was the strongest and most damaging storm of January, forming from a tropical low in the Coral Sea and reaching Category 5 intensity by the time it scraped New Caledonia. On January 17, Kevin struck New Zealand with a direct landfall in Auckland still as a Category 3 cyclone, bringing immense damage to the region. It dissipated quickly due to land interaction.

Cyclone Enala formed in the far southeastern Indian Ocean on January 22nd, and rapidly intensified as it barreled towards Western Australia, making landfall as a Category 4 on January 24th. Despite a strong impact, damage was relatively minor.

Typhoon Mawar became the earliest recorded typhoon in the Gulf of Thailand, forming and rapidly intensifying to Category 2 status on January 30th. It then made landfall on the Thai peninsula and crossed over into the Indian Ocean. The IMD, recognizing this storm as a new tropical low, gave the storm the name Mocha. Mocha was in vain as it quickly dissipated. The JTWC later sued IMD for unnecessary naming, and won but at a cost (see .

### **February**

February was also below average in terms of named storms, however packed two major, long lasting systems in the form of Fabien and Jasper.

### **March**

March 2023 was notable for having the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded, Cyclone Lola with winds of 345mph and a pressure of 747mb. However, only one other storm and depression formed that month, with Mal being sheared off by Lola and 91P being killed by it. This meant March saw a record low two systems form.

### **April**

April was also very below average in terms of named systems, but above average in storm intensities.

Hurricane Adrian became the earliest recorded Category 5 in the Central Pacific Ocean, reaching such intensity on April 7th.

Typhoon Guchol delivered widespread impacts to the Philippines on April 20th.

### **May**

May was around average in terms of named storms, however, seven of the eight storms formed in the last five days of the month due to the start of the 2023 Grad Hyperactive Period, and Elsa formed only on the 19th.

Typhoon-Hurricane Elsa was a rare May major hurricane at over 30° N, before turning post-tropical but still remaining very strong over extremely above average waters in the Eastern Pacific. Elsa delivered a historic landfall to Oregon, making landfall in Pacific City as an arguably subtropical Category 3 cyclone on May 26th.

### **June**

June was the anomaly in the first half of 2023, bringing record activity, the forms of which were never seen before. Fueled by a Super Nino in the Northern Hemisphere during the 2023 Grad Hyperactive Period, the first eight days of June saw a whopping 18 storms form, with 13 becoming hurricanes and four becoming majors.

The most notable cyclone that formed in June, however, occured after the hyperactive period ended. Major Hurricane-Super Typhoon Eugene formed on June 11th in the open Eastern Pacific, and over a month, crossed the entire Pacific Ocean east to west and once reaching major hurricane status on June 15th, did not weaken below that or even a Category 4 until mid-July. Eugene maintained Category 5 for all but eight six-hour measurements, with the Category 4 measurements being in the middle of Eugene's four eyewall replacement cycles.

### **July**

July was a below average month for cyclones. However, the month packed two major cyclones, in the form of a long lasting Eugene which lasted almost half the month, as well as Greg in the East Pacific, being the second fastest intensifying storm of the year only to Lola.

The South Atlantic also saw a storm form in the form of Caloba, an unexpected subtropical cyclone over very harsh conditions near 30° S. This happened in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere's harshest winter on record, which saw ice form up to 40° S at some points.