Question of The Day- What was your Scariest Weather Event?
By DB
@dgobucks226 (37621)
May 6, 2022 8:37pm CST
Weather can be not only unpredictable but very destructive. No matter where you live most everyone has experienced some form of weather's fury. High winds which cause tornadoes and hurricanes, lightening, hail, earthquakes, floods, and winter storms are examples of some of these weather phenomena.
Many of the above weather events I have experienced like snowstorms, lightening, hurricanes, and even the aftershock of an earthquake.
But for me, my #1 weather event has to be a tornado I witnessed while a student at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. It passed right by the outskirts of the city, close enough for me to view the funnel shaped cloud when I went to the top floor of our dormitory.
Fortunately, the tornado took a turn away from Columbus touching down in Xenia, Ohio. Sadly, it's devasting winds leveled and destroyed the entire city. The one thing that stood out from that experience was how calm, dark and quiet it was, as the tornado approached our area. Not only was it an eerie feeling it scared the heck out of me as I figured it's on the way right towards us! 
Hope you enjoyed reading about my experience. Well, that's my scariest weather event, what's yours?
Hope you enjoyed reading about my experience. Well, that's my scariest weather event, what's yours?11 people like this
12 responses
@snowy22315 (209240)
• United States
7 May 22
A tornado as well, one that was late at night. The power went out, and I took refuge in the bedroom. When I was in there I could hear big trees falling around. Venturing out of the closet, it looked like it had snowed in the living room as a tree had fallen through the roof it got hung up in the rafters. Insulation was all over the living room floor.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (209240)
• United States
7 May 22
Another thing although not a weather event was earthquake aftershocks. They were more scary than the original event. The one that happened while I was in bed was the worst.
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@snowy22315 (209240)
• United States
9 May 22
@dgobucks226 Wow, that must have been something.
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
9 May 22
Holy Mackerel! What a close call. I bet the whole area had trees down and destruction all around.
Another event which was a close second for me was Hurricane Sandy and the damage it caused New Jersey, my home state. My father, who lived only 4 blocks from the Ocean, woke up to a raging flood running down his street, and of all things, someone's surfboard being carried along with the water current. lol
1 person likes this
@rebelann (117284)
• El Paso, Texas
7 May 22
Yikes, that wooda scared the pooo right outta me.
The scariest weather event I've experienced was in 2006 when we got rain for 30 straight days. Since the soil on my lot is almost like quick sand when it's really wet I was too scared to even try to leave my home. Mind you that being in a desert and getting that much rain at one time was a phenomenon I never want to have to live through again.
https://www.weather.gov/media/epz/swww/swwb2006b.pdf
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@rebelann (117284)
• El Paso, Texas
10 May 22
My home is on a slope that sits a little higher than some other areas so that kinda protected me but still, it was scary. When I tried to walk to the gate I almost sank in some places, as if I suddenly had quicksand or something.
Download Image of [Flooding] El Paso, TX -- Heavy runoff from storms in late July/early August 2006 destroy storm drain pipes and roadways(from top left to bottom center) in an East El Paso neighborhood. El Paso County was declared a Federal Disaster Area
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
10 May 22
@rebelann That was some destructive weather event!
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
9 May 22
Wow! Was anyone building an Ark during that time? I would of been concerned about a mudslide and your house sliding away.
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@celticeagle (190074)
• Boise, Idaho
7 May 22
Tornadoes are scary. We have some occasionally but they are small. I can't think of any extreme weather we have had.
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@celticeagle (190074)
• Boise, Idaho
9 May 22
@dgobucks226 ........Be glad it was the surfboard being carried and not you.
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
9 May 22
Fortunate for you 
Another event which was a close second for me was Hurricane Sandy and the damage it caused New Jersey, my home state. My father, who lived only 4 blocks from the Ocean, woke up to a raging flood running down his street, and of all things, someone's surfboard being carried along with the water current. lol
Other weather events excessive heat, Sunami's, volcanoes, and landslides.
Another event which was a close second for me was Hurricane Sandy and the damage it caused New Jersey, my home state. My father, who lived only 4 blocks from the Ocean, woke up to a raging flood running down his street, and of all things, someone's surfboard being carried along with the water current. lol
Other weather events excessive heat, Sunami's, volcanoes, and landslides.1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86939)
• United States
7 May 22
Two hurricanes.
The first was Eloise, in 1975. We were living on the west coast of Florida in a mobile home. We barely caught the tail end of the storm as it moved toward the panhandle. Still, with just the tail end or a glancing blow, that mobile home shook from the wind like it was in a blender. 
The second was David, in 1979. It arrived about 24 hours after I did in Jacksonville for my first duty station in the Navy. The good thing about that was that I was secured in barracks built before World War II, so they were sturdy. The bad thing was it was a day and a half of vending machine food. 
The second was David, in 1979. It arrived about 24 hours after I did in Jacksonville for my first duty station in the Navy. The good thing about that was that I was secured in barracks built before World War II, so they were sturdy. The bad thing was it was a day and a half of vending machine food. 1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86939)
• United States
10 May 22
@dgobucks226 -- I know tornadoes are awful, but they are concentrated. In contrast, 90% of Louisville was without power after the remnants of Hurricane Ike moved through. 
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
9 May 22
When you feel the effects of a hurricane up close you understand more fully how terrifying and destructive, they can be. Mobile homes seem to be a target of hurricanes, and tornadoes too. I was in Fort Meyers when Katrina passed by that area. The winds felt like a freight train was passing through! Really scary...
Another event which was a close second for me was Hurricane Sandy and the damage it caused New Jersey, my home state. My father, who lived only 4 blocks from the Ocean, woke up to a raging flood running down his street, and of all things, someone's surfboard being carried along with the water current. lol
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
10 May 22
@FourWalls Yes, good point! Hurricanes can linger while tornadoes strike quickly and go.
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@LadyDuck (502954)
• Italy
7 May 22
I had many pretty scare experiences. We had a pretty strong earthquake when we lived in Monte Carlo. I remember the books falling from the shelves, being unable to get up from my couch and hoping that the apartment building would not collapse. Eight years ago, here, we had hail as big as golf balls, we had a lot of damages to the garden, some tiles of the roof had to be replaced, at least the car was inside the garage and the insurance paid. We had a flight (New York to Atlanta) during a horrible thunderstorm with lightning, high winds, pouring rain and hail. May be that one was the scariest, we could only hope the pilot knew what to do and keep our seat belt fastened as the airplane was shaken like a cocktail in a shaker.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502954)
• Italy
10 May 22
@dgobucks226 - I have experienced several earthquakes the one in Monte Carlo was the strongest. I was in Milan at my Mom's apartment when the terrible earthquake happened in Friuli (250 miles from Milan). We felt the earthquake very well. I had the feeling to have vertigo a few seconds before the apartment started to shake. That quake killed 990 people.
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@LadyDuck (502954)
• Italy
11 May 22
@dgobucks226 - Some Italian regions had devastating quakes during the past 50 years.
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
9 May 22
Those are some harrowing experiences. Especially, the one with the airplane where there is no escape. I experienced a minor airplane episode too with weather, and the plane shook and dipped like yours did. Hail does not get mentioned much but yes, very destructive and like a thunderstorm, very eerie when it hits.
Earthquakes might be one of the scariest natural disasters of them all.
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@ihasaquestion (8273)
•
13 Jul 22
Lightning and thunder can be pretty overwhelming for me.
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@marguicha (230365)
• Chile
7 May 22
We don´t have weather problemswhere I live. But I am scared of earthquakes.
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
10 May 22
Yes, the fear of the unknown and what may happen in a weather event is enough to scary most people.
Other weather events excessive heat, Tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides.
Other weather events excessive heat, Tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides.
@Shavkat (141905)
• Philippines
12 May 22
@dgobucks226 These are the things that we cannot control. But we can prevent from being harmed if we need to move out of the place as soon as possible.
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
10 May 22
Earthquakes can definitely be terrifying! There really is no escape. You're at the mercy of where it strikes.
Another event which was a close second for me was Hurricane Sandy and the damage it caused New Jersey, my home state. My father, who lived only 4 blocks from the Ocean, woke up to a raging flood running down his street, and of all things, someone's surfboard being carried along with the water current. lol
Other weather events excessive heat, Sunamis, volcanoes, and landslides.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (44560)
• United States
7 May 22
I'm sure that was really frightening! I've experienced hurricanes and bad storms, but the night lightning stuck me was scary. Thankfully it had calmed down first so I didn't get hurt. But it felt like warm water flowing through my body.
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
10 May 22
Severe thunderstorms are scary, aren't they? Every rumble of thunder and flashes of lightening brings worry about what is being hit.
Another event which was a close second for me was Hurricane Sandy and the damage it caused New Jersey, my home state. My father, who lived only 4 blocks from the Ocean, woke up to a raging flood running down his street, and of all things, someone's surfboard being carried along with the water current. lol
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
10 May 22
I've also experienced driving through a blizzard. A traffic accident waiting to happen. One thing all of these weather events have in common, the worry of what may happen.
@Deepizzaguy (122379)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
7 May 22
Scariest weather event was Hurricane Laura in August 2020 which knocked out electrical power for about one month, no television until mid October and no internet until late October.
The lesson that my relatives learned was to evacuate when a major storm comes.
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@Deepizzaguy (122379)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
10 May 22
@dgobucks226 There was a lot of takeout business during the recovery time.
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
10 May 22
I agree Hurricanes are really scary. And if you don't evacuate your trapped and at the mercy of the storm. That is a long time to be without power. They must have had to do a lot of takeout when businesses got their power restored. Or did they leave the area and stay with someone?
Other weather events excessive heat, Tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides.
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@LindaOHio (222986)
• United States
7 May 22
I have 3 -- Walking in snow up and over my thighs in the blizzard of 1977-78, the earthquake of 5.0 when my husband was down in the salt mine; and a tornado on the west side of the city when we were there to attend a wedding.
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@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
9 May 22
Blizzards can be just as scary an event as some of the other more mentioned weather forces. Glad you made it through them all unharmed.
Other weather events excessive heat, Tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides.
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@LindaOHio (222986)
• United States
10 May 22
@dgobucks226 We are actually pretty lucky here in NE Ohio (knock on wood).
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