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(WSIL) -- Every year brings its own challenges and Mother Nature is the gift that keeps on giving. In the year 2023, weather brought significant weather impacts globally, especially here in the Midwest. 

We started the new year off with one of the warmest winters on record. That record started in December of 2022 through February 2023. 

By December of 2022 we were tracking temperatures into the negatives! We are talking about -20 F!

January 2, 2023 9:50 in the evening, Graves County residents seek shelter as  tornado warnings popped up with a cluster of storms. Luckily, no tornadoes touched down. Minor tree damage from gusty winds and a few power outages were the only thing they experienced. 

January 24-25th, heavy snow blanketed the foothills. While most of the region saw an inch to 3 inches, the foothills in southeastern Missouri saw upwards of 6 inches! Due to the heavy snowfall, there was widespread power outages. 

January 30-31 a winter storm moves through the region bringing nearly an inch of sleet coating the roads in some locations. The hardest hit areas were southeast Missouri, northwestern Tennessee and western Kentucky. A domino effect occurred just after 7pm on January 30th when several semi trucks collided, causing a pile-up on I-57 in Charleston, Missouri. The crash had the interstate shut down from Charleston exits to Cairo in southern Illinois. The road reopened a few hours after midnight January 31st. 

February 8-9th, a wind and flooding event took place. ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý Illinois saw the worst of it in Saline and Hamilton counties. Vehicles were left stranded when field flooding overtook the roads. Crews were doing water rescues in choppy water as winds gust upward of 40mph at times, giving the water on an open field a bit of a current. 

We went most of February without seeing any snow or ice. We closed out the month with Tornado Watches posted for parts of southern Illinois, western Kentucky and southeastern Missouri.

March 3, 2023, a record breaking low pressure of 977.7 millibars was recorded as the system moved over Paducah, Kentucky. This system also brought several tornadoes and significant widespread wind damage and flooding. 

An EF-2 tornado tracked  a mile and a half through the town of Fremont, Kentucky with peak winds of 125mph. It was also during this event that the National Weather Service in Paducah issued a rare High Wind Warning for several counties. Significant wind damage was reported across the state of Kentucky. This would make it the states 4th billion dollar event in just two years. 

March 31, 2023, the region is placed under a very rare 4 out of 5 chance of seeing severe weather. Gusty winds and heavy rain fell across the region, several neighboring states were not so lucky as a tornado outbreak occurs with a very rare 5/5 High Risk day. 

The weather pattern stayed rather active. 

April 5, 2023, a multi-state tornado outbreak with 4 tornadoes touching down here at home. A Tornado Watch was issued beginning at 1am - 9am. The Watch included the potential of possible tornadoes. 

2:30 Wednesday morning, an EF 1 tornado with winds up to 110mph,touched down in northeast Carter County and southeast Wayne County. It tracked 6.5 miles before lifting. No reports of injuries or deaths were reported. 

At 3:30am, A rare Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) tornado warning is issued. - An EF 2 tornado moves through Bollinger County in southeastern Missouri. The tornado had winds maxed out at 130mph and traveled 22 miles from Grassy to the Bollinger / Cape Girardeau County lines where it lifted. The tornado devastating the town of Glennallen, Missouri with 5 deaths and 4 injuries. The storm was moving E at a fast rate of 55mph.

The line of severe weather was not done for the day. 

Just before 1:30pm, a short-lived EF 1 twister with winds up to 95mph hit along Highway 286 in Ballard County, Kentucky. It traveled a 0.5 miles. No injuries or deaths were reported. 

Finally, at 2:02pm, an EF 0 tornado with winds up to 85mph, touches down in Calloway County traveling just over 5 miles. No injuries or deaths were reported. 

Lastly, Calvert City, Kentucky had significant straight-line wind damage as the area experienced an equivalent of an EF1, with winds at 95mph!. 

That day went on with widespread power outages and flash flooding. 

Mother Nature was not done with us yet, in fact things were only getting started. 

May 15, 2023, southeastern Missouri braces for several tornado warnings as two cells moved through Butler and Stoddard Counties. Luckily no tornadoes were confirmed. However, large hail and wind damage were reported. We're talking about golf ball sized hail!

June had a fairly quiet pattern and this would make for a great planting season. Farmers were able to plant their crops on time and then conditions got hot and very humid, keeping us in a looping drought to flooding. 

June 29-July 2, 2023, Four day of active weather brought several rounds of severe weather and flooding. Large hail up to 3 inches in diameter were recorded as storms rolled through the region. This did give farmers more of a headache as they dealt with a rollercoaster of conditions. 

Within that same stretch of days, July 1, 2023 a multi-county EF1 tornado moved through western Kentucky. It maxed out at winds of 90mph, traveling 27 miles through Hickman, Graves and Lyon Counties. Most of the damage that was done was to trees, however several barn structures were damaged as well. Luckily, in this long-tracked tornado, no injuries or deaths were reported. 

July 18-19th a new 24-hour state record was made in western Kentucky as Graves County records 11.28 inches of rain fell. According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, a farm in the county had $40,000 worth of damage to its crop alone. This was a rare flooding that had emergency management on their toes and at full staff when a rare Flash Flooding Emergency was issued. People became trapped in cars and in homes. Flood waters washed away roads and bridges. 

Several towns across southern Illinois, western Kentucky and southeastern Missouri were left under water for hours to days.

July 29, 2023, straight line winds would barrel through portions of Missouri and southern Illinois. Washington County would experience winds of up to 75mph and be left to pick up the damage. Power outages lasted up to 2 days for the towns in Washington County. 

Another flooding disaster strikes during August 3-4, 2023, just 2 weeks after the last flooding event. 

The region did not get a break from the rain. The soil was completely saturated and did not have enough time in-between events. 

This time, the major flooding hitting southeast Missouri, western Kentucky and northeastern Tennessee particularly hard. Marble Hill, MO, Sikeston, MO, Union City, TN and Mayfield KY were some of the hardest hit areas. The one thing in common? They were all still cleaning up after the last flooding event. 

According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, between July 1 and mid August, 15 to 25 inches of rain fell. 

We ended the flood events there and mother nature cranked up the heat. The previous rain helped set the table for higher levels of humidity within the crops.

August 7, 2023, a tornado warning is issued for portion of Williamson County at 12:45AM. Several counties in southern Illinois were impacted with significant straight-line wind damage. The NWS Paducah found damage consistent with 60-75mph winds. It is notable that those same storms went on to produce several tornadoes just outside of the region, hitting Indiana an Kentucky head on. 

The summer was hot but on August 20-26th, record level humidity levels overtake the Midwest. 

Most of the region peaked between 115 and 120 degrees as dew points climbed into the upper 70's and lower 80's. Several towns recorded

above 120 heat index. Also during this time, power crews were fighting heat and outages.

By September we were back to being below average in precipitation and above average in temperatures. 

September 4, 2023: Did you know we broke several records?

The National Weather Service in Paducah issued 390 warnings combined in the following categories, Severe Thunderstorm, Tornado and Flash Flood. 

This beat the record from 2019's 240 total warnings!

The average number of warnings is 120. That is 270 MORE warnings than the average. WOW!

Lastly, near the 2 year anniversary of the December 10th 2021 tornado outbreak, another tornado outbreak occurs on December 9, 2023.

An EF-1 tornado with winds up to 110mph traveled through northwestern Tennessee.

The tornado traveled 25 miles from Gibson and Weakley Counties. This tornado would eventually lift and reform over Clarkesville, TN, where a monster

EF-3 tornado tore through the town, killing 3.

Illinois has now ranked number 1 in the state with the most tornadoes in 2023.

120 tornadoes and only 2 of them were in southern Illinois. Most were in central and northern parts of the state.

Did you feel that rumble? On December 17, 2023, at 10:10pm, a 3.1 earthquake rattles Jefferson County. The earthquake was nearly 10 miles in depth and shook a good portion of southern Illinois!

Not only was 2023 a busy year in weather, but it was also quite busy for space weather! Did you know 2023 had some of the largest sun solar flares? That lead to the far south United States seeing the beautiful northern lights. A rare glimpse seen as far down south as western Tennessee on April 22-23rd. 

The year ended with a large solar flare and several radio black outs, luckily no impacts were reported in the region. One event was December 15, 2023 and the one to ring in the New Year on December 31, 2023.