Lately it seems like weird weather may becoming our new normal. Although what many of us are currently experiencing could be considered extreme, we should not forget that this is not the first time mother nature has thrown some seriously weird weather at us.
Lets take a look at five of the weirdest weather events in history.
Blood Colored Rain
During 2001 in the Kerala region of India the rain came down in various colors for at least a month.
Although it was the red rain that seemed to generate the most attention due to its resemblance to blood, there were also reports of green, yellow and even black rain.
It was eventually determined that the colored rain was a result of a water spout that pulled spores from algae up into the atmosphere which was then deposited in the rain.
The Heat Wave
Temperature extremes can cause their share of trouble. From frozen water pipes and cars that will not start in the cold to dying crops and brown lawns during a summer heat wave. What most of us have experienced doesn’t compare to what the Australian town of Marble Bar endured way back in 1923. For 160 days in a row, temperatures exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
As far as heat waves go, that’s a world record, but it’s definitely not one to be envied.
Snow in the Desert
Although it’s hard to picture this one, it actually snowed in one of the hottest places on Earth during February, 1979.
Low-lying areas of the Sahara Desert saw snow fly for the first time that we humans are aware of. There are mountainous regions of the Sahara that receive snow more regularly but to see it at the lower elevations was an extraordinarily rare event.
Fire and Ice
During 1911, a number of locations in the Midwestern United States set both record low and record high temperatures during a single day.
On November 11 a huge storm system swept across the area and brought severe storms and wild temperature swings to the area.
In Kansas City the temperature rose to a comfortable 76F during the day and then plunged to just 11F by midnight.
A Year Without Summer
The idea of a “nuclear winter” is often brought up when the subject of nuclear war is brought up and it’s well known that the phenomenon can also be caused by a volcano.
Way back in 1816, ash that spewed from numerous volcanoes partially obscured the sun’s energy and resulted in temperatures well below normal.
With snow falling in New England in June and ice forming on lakes in Pennsylvania in July and August, 1816 was often referred to as the year without a summer.
Europe and the United States were particularly hard hit with some 200,000 people dying in from cold and starvation in Europe alone.
