The Scariest Natural Disasters

In this fantastic world of ours, humans have experienced so many things. Climate change for one is a natural phenomenon that is mainly due to human development. Humans are the main culprits. Other natural disasters happen due to many scientific matters. These natural disasters have affected humans and animals for millions upon millions of years. In this day and age, climate change has affected the way natural disasters operate. There are more wildfires and there are more floods. Of course, those are scary natural disasters to experience, but there are many more. Let’s take a look at the nine scariest natural disasters.

Blizzards/Snowstorms

According to the National Weather Service, blizzards are intense winter storms. What happens is there is a combination of snow and wind that occurs, which results in low visibility and heavy snowfall. In order for the storm to be categorized as a blizzard, there have to be winds of at least 35 miles per hour or more. Blizzards are dangerous as they can cause accidents, power failures, and more.

Floods

Floods are the accumulation of water. In other words, when it rains heavily or there is a hurricane, the bodies of water — like lakes or rivers — around an area can rise and cause flooding. Flooding can be dangerous, as it can destroy homes, electrical appliances, and other things. Cities can be destroyed and humans can die because of major flooding.

Wildfires

Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that burn in forests, grasslands, or other areas that have a lot of brush that is easily flammable. They can sometimes be started because of hot weather, but most of the time it is because of human development or human mistakes that wildfires begin. Wildfires are dangerous because they can destroy large amounts of land, and homes, and can even cost lives.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes are the sudden shake or shock of the earth’s surface. Basically, the earth (ground) moves, which causes everything on the earth to move, as well. This can be dangerous because, in massive earthquakes, everything over the earth may get destroyed. Whole buildings have plummeted to the ground because of this natural disaster. Earthquakes have destroyed cities and killed many, many people.

Hurricanes/Typhoons/Cyclones

Hurricanes, typhoons, and Cyclones are all the same thing. Depending on where you live on Earth, the weather system will have a different name. Hurricanes are rapidly rotating weather systems that occur in tropical zones around the world. These weather systems can cause complete destruction of entire regions, wreaking havoc on anything in its path and costing billions of dollars in damage.

Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are electrical storms or lightning storms. Usually lightning will appear in the Earth’s atmosphere and the Thunder is what you hear from the lightning striking down to earth. Thunderstorms are dangerous because if you get struck by lightning, it could kill you. They can also cause rain and intense winds that can produce damage to areas. This natural phenomenon can happen anywhere on Earth and can happen quite frequently.

Tornadoes

According to the National Weather Service, a tornado is a violently rotating column of error touching the ground. Tornadoes will circle an area and can cause widespread devastation. The winds of tornadoes have been known to reach as high as 300 miles per hour. Tornadoes can destroy entire neighborhoods in a matter of seconds. These natural phenomena have also cost lives.

Tsunamis

Tsunamis are giant waves that are caused by disruptions in a large body of water like an ocean. This disruption could be an earthquake near the body of water or in the body of water. Tsunamis are extremely dangerous because these waves can reach hundreds or more than a thousand feet high and devastate entire regions. Entire cities and regions have been destroyed, as well as a myriad of people killed.

Volcanoes

Volcanoes are ruptures in the crusts of a mass object in the Earth. The rupture then allows volcanic ash, gasses, and most of all hot lava to escape from said object. Most volcanoes are mountains. Hot lava moves out of the volcano and will destroy anything in its path. Volcanoes have been known to destroy whole communities and kill the flora and fauna in the area, as well as humans.