Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from January 2023

New Year’s Day revelers take a dip into the 57-degree Pacific Ocean on Sunday, January 1, 2023, a Huntington Beach tradition to welcome in the new year. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The first sunset of the new year provides beach-goers a fleeting colorful view in Huntington Beach on Sunday, January 1, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors hang out on the Seal Beach Pier during the rain in Seal Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tuesday, January 3, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A Snowy Owl sits on a rooftop in the 6500 block of Reefton Avenue in Cypress, CA, on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A snowy owl that found its way from the Arctic tundra in Alaska or northern Canada, takes flight from a rooftop of a home in Cypress during its second week of living in the Southern California neighborhood, on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A sailboat makes its way inside the harbor as waves crash over the jetty in Dana Point, CA on Thursday, January 5, 2023. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Parents demonstrate their support for Gunn Marie Hansen and Cathleen Corella during pubic comments following a special meeting at the Orange Unified School Board in Orange on Thursday, January 5, 2023 to decide the future – and possible firing – of Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen and Cathleen Corella, assistant superintendent of educational services. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Nathan Barrett of Long Beach raises his surfboard as he gets hit by a large shorebreak wave at the Huntington Beach Pier on Friday morning, January 6, 2023 in Huntington Beach. The recent storm that brought rain, wind and snow to most of California, has also brought large, and in some areas, damaging surf. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A skimboarder runs down the beach toward a wave near the Balboa Pier early Friday morning, January 6, 2023 in Newport Beach. The winter storm that brought rain, wind and snow to most of California, has also brought large, and in some areas, damaging surf. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kathy Ginest of Riverside tries blending in with a motley group during the Oddities and Curiosities Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center on Saturday, January 7, 2023. The event featured strange and unusual items, including mummified animals, taxidermied two-headed creatures, and a fleet of creepy hearses. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Margarita’s Molly MacMillan, left, and JSerra’s Bella Stewart, right, go after the ball during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Nicole Ballon of Costa Mesa, left, who has appeared in four previous Pageant of the Masters shows, gets her head measured by headpiece craftsman Rome Fiore during the Pageant of the Masters casting in Laguna Beach on Sunday, January 8, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Charlotte Fink, 4, of Sierra Madre, has her photo taken in the photo booth by her father Mark Fink during the Pageant of the Masters casting in Laguna Beach on Sunday, January 8, 2023. Charlotte’s father, mother, sister and brother are all trying out for the upcoming show. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A man shoots baskets at the beach in Laguna Beach, CA on Monday, January 9, 2023. Rain was expected to move into Orange County overnight and into Tuesday. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A woman walks her dog where Aliso Creek empties into the ocean at Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach, CA on Monday, January 9, 2023. Rain was expected to move into Orange County overnight and into Tuesday. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Monika Henderson is the co-owner and artist at Steady Kitchen and Taps on Magnolia Street in Fountain Valley, on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
People cross Harbor Boulevard at the eastern entrance to the Disneyland Resort during a rain storm in Anaheim, CA, on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Justin Rudd looks for trash at Rosie’s Dog Beach during one of his 30-minute beach cleanups in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An excavator tears down the 70-room Covered Wagon Motel on Beach Blvd. in Anaheim, CA on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. The motel is expected to be replaced with affordable housing and townhomes, city spokesman Mike Lyster said. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cal State Fullerton guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (3) and UC Irvine’s DJ Davis (22) scramble for the ball in the first half of a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine in Irvine on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
UC Irvine guard DJ Davis (22) celebrates after scoring a crucial 3-point shot late in the second half during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine in Irvine on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Comedian Rita Rudner demonstrates her flexibility by doing the splits on a bench outside the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach on Thursday, January 12, 2023. Rudner’s new play, “Staged,” tells the story of a one-time Broadway power couple who have to work together 20 years after their acrimonious divorce. The play, on stage at Laguna Playhouse from Jan. 25 through Feb. 12, was written by Rudner and directed by husband Martin Bergman. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
People gather on the rocks at sunset seen on the beach below Heisler Park to watch the sunset in Laguna Beach on Thursday, January 12, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A man films an electric-powered scale model of a vintage Chevy on the beach below Heisler Park in Laguna Beach on Thursday, January 12, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Pallbearers escort the casket of William G. Steiner as family, friends and colleagues attend a memorial service held at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Orange on Friday, January 13, 2023. Steiner was a children’s advocate, Orange city councilman, founder of the Orangewood Children’s Home and a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. He died in December 2022. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Five-year-old Tayler Navarro plows through the rain as he, his two older brothers, and his parents shop in downtown Santa Ana on Saturday, January 14, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei’s #11 Caia Elisaldez, right, looks to pass the ball past Sage Hill’s Amalia Holguin, left, and Zoie Lamkin, center, in the Matt Denning Nike Hoops Classic at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Saturday, January 14, 2023. Mater Dei won the game 62-50. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cub Scout, Curtis Mason Williams, 5, helps assemble monthly food boxes for seniors at the OC Food Bank in Garden Grove during MLK Day on Monday, January 16, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei’s Eli Garza (34) celebrates scoring a goal as Servite’s Joe Moyer (7) reacts during their Trinity League game at Servite High School in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Mater Dei defeated Servite, 4 to 2. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
People attending the Orange Unified School District meeting wait outside in the rain as the Orange Fire Department arrives after the boardroom was evacuated after smoke begin to pour out of the air conditioner ducts during the public comment portion of the meeting in Orange on Thursday, January 19, 2023. After the fire department gave the all clear everyone was let back in. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Artist Minerva Delcampo is all smiles as she shows Ortensia the Cat, the girlfriend of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a pictures she drew of the two of them in Paradise Garden during Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, CA, on Jan. 20, 2023. This was Ortensia’s first ever appearance in the United States. Oswald was Walt Disney’s creation before Mickey Mouse and is symbolizing the year of the rabbit. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The faux snow-covered Matterhorn Bobsleds pokes out of Disneyland as the real snow-covered San Gabriel Mountains stand over Orange County in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, January 20, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Sunday, January 22, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Firecrackers are set off along the Westminster Tet Parade route, signifying a new beginning on Sunday, January 22, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A group of pastors and others join in a prayer circle at the intersection of Garvey Avenue and N. Garfield Avenue in Monterey Park on Sunday, January 22, 2023 to pray for the victims of the mass shooting at the Star Dance Studio. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Hannah Koester, 26, of Pasadena, left, embraces Lor-Shing Hsu, 29, of Alhambra during a prayer circle outside Monterey Park City Hall in Monterey Park on Sunday, January 22, 2023 to pray for the victims of the mass shooting at Star Dance Studio. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A woman takes cell phone photos through the front window of the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park on Sunday, January 22, 2023 after the police took down the crime scene tape following the deadly shooting of 10 people at a ballroom late Saturday night. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
High tides cause flooding on Pacific Coast Highway at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 24, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
High tides cause flooding on Pacific Coast Highway at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, CA, on Tuesday, January 24, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
John Stanaland shown on his yacht, Huntress, at Basin Marine in Newport Beach on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. The John Stanaland Group is leaving Villa Real Estate for Douglas Elliman, the latest in a period of shakeups in Southern California’s big brokerages. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Shep Bryan, owner of Maximum Security Safes, pictured at the store in Santa Ana on Thursday, January 26, 2023. Orange County Sheriff’s investigators say there’s been an upswing in residential burglaries linked to an organized South American theft group over the last year. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kimberly Williams, second from right, the wife of Elliot Blair, is comforted by her family during a candlelight vigil in Orange on Thursday, January 26, 2023 for Orange County deputy public defender Elliot Blair who died in Mexico. Pictured, from left, are Kimberly’s uncle, Sean, parents Craig and Janet Williams, Kimberly Williams, and her sister Lindsey. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Wondrous Journeys, a nighttime spectacular celebrates 100 years of Walt Disney Animation Studios at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, January 26, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Vikki Shepp, CEO of Girl Scouts of Orange County shows off her cookie attire during the Mega Delivery of Girl Scout cookies at the Great Park in Irvine on Saturday, January 28, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Colorful lanterns adorn the three-day UVSA Tet Festival at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa on Saturday, January 28, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Adam Overton and Meryl Phillips, embrace during a moment of silence for those that have been killed by police during at a protest at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Sunday, January 29, 2023 in response to Friday’s video release of the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Anthony Bryson, center, stands on rock to speak the names of those that have been killed by police while protesters form a circle around him during a candlelight vigil at Pearson Park in Anaheim on Sunday, January 29, 2023 in response to Friday’s video release of the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Storm clouds roll in over snowcapped mountains as rain and chilly weather greets Orange County on Monday, January 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
With clear skies and no rain in the forecast, motorists traveling along the 55 freeway in Orange have a clear view of the snow covered San Gabriel Mountains on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

We asked our photographers to pick their favorite moments from January 2023, and here are some they selected.

Rain, rain, rain … a little sunshine, then more rain. Then the snow-capped mountains appeared. That pretty much sums up January in Orange County.

The year started with New Year’s Day revelers taking a dip into the 57 degree Pacific Ocean on Jan. 1.

In Cypress, a snowy owl, certainly not native to Southern California, made an appearance in a residential neighborhood, drawing avid ornithologists and curious gawkers alike.

Disney Animation kicked off its 100th anniversary with new nighttime shows at the Disneyland Resort.

A gunman killed 10 people at a Monterey Park ballroom as the Lunar New Year was being celebrated and the region mourned.

Tet, the Vietnamese celebration of the Lunar New Year, drew crowds in Westminster and in Costa Mesa.

Check out the photos and follow The Orange County Register on Facebook and Instagram. Here are our staff photographers’ individual pages: Paul Bersebach, Jeff Gritchen, Leonard Ortiz, Mark Rightmire, and Mindy Schauer.

Stay safe and stay healthy!