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2023: Destructive Storms and Sheets of Rain in the Netherlands

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© Ilse KootkarThe lighthouse Kijkduin Light in Huisduinen, Netherlands, with a sun halo in the sky on March 6th, 2023.
2023 started with snowfall in eastern and southeastern parts of the Netherlands and ended with record high water levels due to record-breaking rainfall. The wettest year since measurements began also included other destructive weather events such as storms and tornadoes. Below are some highlights from extreme weather events in the Netherlands in 2023.

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Meteor fireball over New Zealand on January 21

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We received 24 reports about a fireball seen over Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Northland, Otago, Taranaki, Waikato and Wellington on Sunday, January 21st 2024 around 08:12 UT.

For this event, we received one video.


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Meteor fireball over New England and New York on January 21

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© Mark K.
We received 10 reports about a fireball seen over CT, MA, Massachusetts, ME, NY, Rhode Island and RI on Sunday, January 21st 2024 around 09:05 UT.

For this event, we received 4 videos and 3 photos.


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Stunning meteor fireball over Spain and Portugal on January 21

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This video shows a stunning bolide recorded on January 21, at 21:03 local time (equivalent to 20:03 universal time). It was brighter than the full Moon. The fireball was observed by a wide number of casual eyewitnesses, who reported it on social networks.

The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from a comet that hit the atmosphere at about 89,000 km/h. The fireball overflew the south of Spain and Portugal. It began at an altitude of about 101 km over Valencia del Mombuey (province of Badajoz, Spain), moved south, continued over the southeast of Portugal, and ended at a height of around 40 km over San Bartolomé de la Torre (province of Huelva, Spain).

This bright meteor was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN) from the meteor-observing stations located at Huelva, La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, La Sagra (Granada), Sevilla, and El Aljarafe (Sevilla). The event has been analyzed by the principal investigator of the SMART project: Dr. Jose M. Madiedo, from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC).


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Best of the Web: Small asteroid hits Earth above Germany overnight on January 21

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Small asteroid hits Earth on January 21, 2024

In the late-night hours of January 21, 2024 - 90 minutes before impact over European skies - NASA said a small asteroid would hit Earth's atmosphere. And hit it did. The space rock struck on schedule above an area west of Berlin, Germany. The asteroid was only about 1 meter (3 feet) in diameter. It posed no danger to people on the ground. Yet it's possible the asteroid might have spread small meteorites over the landscape.

In the hours since then, footage of the fireball in the skies over Germany has been coming in on social media.


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Meteor fireball over UK and Ireland on January 18

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We received 95 reports about a fireball seen over Bretagne, County Cavan, County Cork, County Kildare, County Offaly, County Wicklow, England, Normandie, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales on Thursday, January 18th 2024 around 18:10 UT.

For this event, we received 3 videos and one photo.


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Meteor fireball over Ohio and other states on January 18

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© BJ
We received 56 reports about a fireball seen over IN, MI, Michigan, NY, OH, Ohio, Ontario, PA, VA and WI on Thursday, January 18th 2024 around 00:30 UT.

For this event, we received 2 videos and one photo.


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Meteor fireball over France and Spain on January 16

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We received 455 reports about a fireball seen over Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Okzitanien and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur on Tuesday, January 16th 2024 around 06:46 UT.

For this event, we received one photo.


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Meteor fireball over Alberta, Montana and Saskatchewan on January 15

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We received 9 reports about a fireball seen over Alberta, MT and Saskatchewan on Monday, January 15th 2024 around 11:58 UT.

For this event, we received 3 videos.


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Meteor fireball over Belarus on January 8

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We received one report about a fireball seen over Minsk Region on Monday, January 8th 2024 around 01:30 UT.

For this event, we received one video and one photo.