The Most Terrifying Natural Disasters
1 - The 1958 Lituya Bay Mega Tsunami
Mega Tsunamis were only a theory until July 9th, 1958, when, in Lituya Bay, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake,
shook 90 million tons of rock and glacial ice off the mountainside at the head of the bay.
This generated the highest wave ever recorded on Earth, 1,720 feet.
It is, in fact, taller than all but the five tallest skyscrapers on Earth today.
2 - The 1815 Tambora Eruption
It erupted from April 6th until the 11th in 1815, but the worst of this was at the end, from the 10th to the 11th.
The power was rated as 7 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index,
making this eruption the most powerful in recorded history. The ash disrupted the weather,
and caused global temperatures to decrease. 1816 was the coldest year of the 1800s,
and the 1810s was the coldest decade of the century because of the eruption.
3 - The 1999 Bridge Creek F5 Tornado
This tornado was the most powerful windstorm ever recorded on Earth. It killed 36 people,
and traveled northeast from Amber, Oklahoma, through two other towns,
Bridge Creek and Moore. Had the tornado veered north into the city,
it would have probably caused more deaths than any other tornado in history,
and become the most expensive tornado ever.
4 - The Storm of the Century
From March the 12th to the 13th, in 1993, a cyclonic storm formed off the east coast of the United States,
so big in size that it caused a strange mix of severe weather. The Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina,
Virginia, and West Virginia received as much as 1.5 meters of snow, with drifts up to 15 meters.
300 people froze to death throughout the eastern half of the country,
when the electrical power was knocked out by falling trees.
5 - The 2003 European Heat Wave
Europe is not accustomed to hot summers. To be honest, hot summers almost never happen there.
In 2003, they got hit with one that would make the south eastern United States,
or the Australian outback sit back and marvel. There were at least 14,802 deaths from the heat in France alone.
Some 2,000 people died in Portugal from the heat. Also, about 300 died in Germany,
141 in Spain, and 1,500 in the Netherlands!
6 - Typhoon Tip
On October 12th, 1979, Tip made history with the lowest air pressure ever recorded at sea level on Earth.
Not only was it the strongest cyclone, it was also the largest ever recorded, half the size of the United States,
excluding Alaska. 44 fishermen died out on the open Pacific from the storm.Tip sank or grounded 8 ships.