With 28 events, 2023 easily surpassed 2020 as the year with the most billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. The preliminary price tag is at least $92.9 billion.

Recent atmospheric patterns don't match those that typically precede a sudden stratospheric warming event. But forecasts do suggest the polar vortex might get stretched out of shape in coming weeks.

Will December's mild weather continue in January, or will winter finally rear its ugly (and cold) head?

Before 2023 officially wraps up we want to highlight some of the climate related stories, maps, and graphs that we brought you over the past year.

As COP28 concludes, NOAA provides highlights observations since the last major climate agreement was signed in 2015. Known as the Paris Agreement, it was adopted by 196 countries including the United States at COP25 in Paris.

Projected end-of-21st-century increases in central tropical Pacific dust and iron deposition strengthen with increasing emissions/radiative forcing, and are aligned with projected soil moisture decreases in adjacent land areas and precipitation increases over the equatorial Pacific.

From responding to heat waves to setting records and launching new tech, AOML’s dedicated team continues to push the boundary in an effort to support NOAA’s mission to build a climate-ready nation.

The Climate Program Office’s Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle and Climate Program supported new research examining wildfire impacts on air quality and public health in the continental USA from 2000 to 2020.

A new study that uses satellite data to analyze gases emitted from wildfires with the aim of enhancing understanding of wildfire emissions beyond current forecasts.

Along the west coast of the U.S., the dynamic and very biodiverse California Current System (CCS) supports a variety of fisheries and marine services. A new study improves accuracy in predicting future CCS conditions.