Armed conflicts and attacks

• 2023 China balloon incident
  • The Federal Aviation Administration closes the airspace off the east coast of the United States, and suspends arrivals at Myrtle Beach International Airport, Charleston International Airport, and Wilmington International Airport after President Joe Biden orders the high-altitude balloon to be shot down over the Atlantic Ocean. (Euro Weekly News)
  • The high-altitude balloon is shot down by a United States Air Force F-22 Raptor over the Atlantic Ocean at 2:39 PM EST. An operation to collect the remnants of the balloon in U.S. territorial waters is currently underway. It is the first time that an aircraft has been shot down in the United States since World War II, as well as the first ever aircraft shootdown in the contiguous United States. (AP) (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

• Two people are killed and three others are injured by an avalanche in Raghistan District, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. (5DariyaNews)

Health and environment

• February 2023 North American cold wave
  • Mount Washington in New Hampshire, United States, records the lowest wind chill temperature in the country at −108 °F (−78 °C). (AFP via Manila Bulletin)