Community Corner

CA's 2023 In Photos: Mother Nature Makes History, Summer Of Strikes

From SoCal's spring blizzard to Monterey underwater, fields of superblooms and streets lined with picketers, 2023 was a year of extremes.

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A worker clears snow off the roof of Skyforest Elks Lodge after a series of storms, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Rimforest, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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Houseboats rest in a channel at Lake Oroville State Recreation Area on March 26, 2023, left, and the same location on Aug. 14, 2021, in Butte County, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (AP)

LOS ANGELES, CA — Mother Nature took center stage in 2023, a year of drama and extremes in the Golden State, where the worst drought in centuries abruptly ended with once-in-a-century storms that buried some towns in 10 feet of snow and flooded others with torrential downpours.

The late-season snowstorms, in turn, gave way to stunning superblooms, and a summer of labor strife and historic strikes.

As the year winds down we look back in photos at the story of 2023 in California.

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A car crosses Enterprise Bridge over Lake Oroville on March 26, 2023, left, and the same location on May 23, 2021, in Butte County, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Mourners pause at a memorial during a vigil honoring the victims of a shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Monterey Park, Calif. A gunman killed 12 people late Saturday amid Lunar New Year celebrations in the predominantly Asian American community. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
A person walks through the parking area of the Alpine Base Area at Palisades Tahoe during a winter storm Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Alpine Meadows, Calif. California and other parts of the West are facing heavy snow and rain from the latest winter storm to pound the United States. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Members of a Cal Fire crew clear snow off the roof of the town's post office after a series of storms on March 8, 2023, in Crestline, Calif. Parts of California are under water, emergency flood declarations are in place in Nevada, and water is being released from some Arizona reservoirs to prepare for a bountiful spring runoff. Climate experts say all the snow and rain over the winter months helped alleviate dry conditions in many parts of the western U.S. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Kenny Rybak shovels snow around his car in Running Springs, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Since December, 2022, a parade of a dozen atmospheric storms have dumped so much snow up and down the Sierra that several ski resorts around Lake Tahoe have had to shut down multiple times. The National Weather Service in Reno recently called it the "winter that just doesn't want to end." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Floodwaters surround homes and vehicles in the community of Pajaro in Monterey County, Calif., on March 13, 2023. Record snowfall and rain have helped to loosen drought’s grip on parts of the western U.S. as national forecasters and climate experts warned Thursday, March 16, that some areas should expect more flooding as the snow begins to melt. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
Francis Lopez douses flames with a bucket of water as the Highland Fire burns through his property in Aguanga, Calif., Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. A wildfire fueled by gusty Santa Ana winds ripped through rural land southeast of Los Angeles on Monday, forcing thousands of people from their homes, fire authorities said. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Daniel Kwan, left, and Daniel Scheinert toss their awards for best picture for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" as they pose in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., puts her arm around the casket of Sen. Dianne Feinstein at City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in San Francisco, where Feinstein's casket was displayed. Feinstein, who died Sept. 29, served as San Francisco mayor. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Vice President Kamala Harris, right, swears in Laphonza Butler, D-Calif., left, to the Senate to succeed the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein during a re-enactment of the swearing-in ceremony, Oct. 3, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Butler's wife, Neneki Lee, center, holds the Bible. Butler made history as the first Black and openly lesbian senator in Congress, when California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)
Kaiser Permanent workers picket Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in Baldwin Park, Calif. Some 75,000 Kaiser Permanente hospital employees who say understaffing is hurting patient care walked off the job in five states and the District of Columbia, kicking off a major health care worker strike.(AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Chris Khalil, left, and Jonathan Khalil, sons of the store co-owners, stand beneath a banner put up by lottery officials outside the Midway Market & Liquor where a winning ticket was sold in Frazier Park, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. The liquor store in a tiny California mountain town reverberated with excitement after word that the winning ticket for a $1.765 billion Powerball jackpot was sold there. The drawing Wednesday night ended a long stretch without a winner of the top prize. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
SAG-AFTRA member John Schmitt, second from right, and others carry signs on the picket line outside Netflix on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, in Los Angeles. Saturday marks the 100th day that film and TV performers from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have been on strike, seeking changes to compensation and protections from use of artificial intelligence in their craft. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
Demonstrators march in support of Palestinians, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Francis Lopez douses flames with a bucket of water as the Highland Fire burns through his property in Aguanga, Calif., Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. A wildfire fueled by gusty Santa Ana winds ripped through rural land southeast of Los Angeles on Monday, forcing thousands of people from their homes, fire authorities said. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

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