Chronology of
Extreme Weather

This document is an attempt to bring various published sources together to present a timeline about Extreme Weather. This is a VERY early, quick timeline of the events of extreme weather events, including: earthquakes, volcanos, tsunamis, tornados, floods, hurricanes, cyclones, landslides, typhoons, and much more. The main source is a "today in history" that I have had since the 1980s, with updates through the 1990s. Depending on interest, I will be doing some proper research and adding detail.

References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 April 30.

79-1804

1805-1899

1900-1949

1950-1969

1970-1989

1990-1994

1995-1999

2000-2004

2005-end

79 August 24 Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae in volcanic ash. [1] [5] 526 May 20 Earthquake kills 250,000 in Antioch, Syria. [1] 1038 January 9 In Shensi, China, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurs, resulting in 23,000 deaths. [53] 1138 August 9 In Aleppo, Syria, one of the world's most destructive earthquakes occurs, claiming 230,000 deaths. [53] 1163 December 21 Hurricane hits villages in Holland/Friesland, causing floods. [1] 1196 December 6 Northern Dutch coast flooded, "Saint-Nicolaas Flood". [1] 1219 January 16 Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, 1,000s killed. [1] 1262 January 28 Flemish/Dutch coast ravaged by north western storm. [1] 1290 September 27 Earthquake in Gulf of Chili China, reportedly kills 100,000. [1] 1293 May 20 Earthquake strikes Kamakura Japan, 30,000 killed. [1] 1348 January 25 In Austria - northern Italy, an Intensity X earthquake occurs, destroying Villach and claiming 5,000 deaths. [1] [53] 1421 November 18 Zuider Zee floods 72 villages, killing an estimated 10,000 in Netherlands. [1] 1456 December 5 Earthquake strikes Naples; about 35,000 die. [1] 1526 February 8 Heavy storm strikes Dutch coast, many die. [1] 1531 January 26 In Lisbon, Portugal, an Intensity X earthquake occurs, claiming 30,000 deaths. [1] [53] February 26 Earthquake in Lisbon Portugal, kills 20,000. [1] 1539 December 29 Saint Jacobs Church burns after being hit by lightning. [1] 1541 April 25 Liege flooded after heavy down pour. [1] 1543 March 18 Hernan de Soto observes first recorded flood in America (Mississippi River). [1] 1551 December 19 Dutch west coast hit by hurricane. [1] 1552 January 12 Dutch west coast hit by heavy storm, 100s killed. [1] February 15 Dutch coast hit by heavy storm. [1] 1556 January 23 In Shensi Province, China, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurs. Worst death toll in history: 830,000 deaths. [1] [53] 1558 January 11 Westmunster Church in Middelburg destroyed by heavy storm. [1] 1559 March 14 Storm floods ravage Gorinchem, Dordrecht and Woudrichem, Netherlands. [1] 1593 December 24 Storm hits Texel: 40 ships hit, 500 killed. [1] 1605 January 31 In Tokaido, Japan, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurs, claiming 5,000 deaths and creating a tsunami wave. [53] 1618 September 4 "Rodi" avalanche destroys Plurs Switzerland, 1,500 killed. [1] 1631 December 16 Mount Vesuvius, Italy erupts, destroys 6 villages and kills 4,000. [1] 1643 May 13 Heavy earthquake strikes Santiago Chile; kills 1/3 of population. [1] July 5 First recorded tornado in US (Essex County, Massachusetts). [1] 1651 March 5 South Sea dike in Amsterdam breaks after storm. [1] March 31 Great earthquake at Cuzco Peru. [1] 1654 January 7 Fire after heavy storm destroys 2/3 of De Rijp Netherlands, one dies. [1] 1659 November 5 In Italy, an earthquake occurs, killing over 2,000 and inflicting severe damage. [53] 1663 January 6 Great earthquake in New England. [1] February 5 In the St. Lawrence River valley (Canada), an Intensity X earthquake occurs, causing vast landslides along the St. Maurice, Batiscan, and St. Lawrence Rivers. [1] [53] 1667 August 27 Earliest recorded hurricane in USA (Jamestown, Virginia). [1] 1669 March 11 Volcano Etna in Italy erupts killing 15,000. [1] March 25 Mount Etna in Sicily erupts, destroying Nicolosi, killing 20,000. [1] 1682 June 10 Tornado in Connecticut uproots a 3' diameter oak tree. [1] 1689 December 22 Heavy earthquake strikes Innsbruck. [1] 1692 June 7 Porte Royale Jamaica slides into harbor after earthquake. [1] An earthquake at Port Royal, Jamaica, causes a landslide within the harbor, generates a tsunami, and destroys ninety percent of the buildings in the city, killing approximately 2,000 people. [53] 1693 January 11 In Sicily, Italy, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs, causing over 60,000 deaths and the total destruction of several villages and towns in the districts of Siracusa, Ragusa, and Catania. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami that struck the Ionian coasts of Sicily and the Messina Strait. [53] Mt Etna erupts, Sicily. [1] 1700 January 26 In the Cascadia Subduction Zone of western North America, a magnitude 9 earthquake occurs, rocking a region 600 miles long that includes modern northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia. The earthquake set off a tsunami that not only struck Cascadia's Pacific coast, but also crossed the Pacific Ocean to Japan, where it damaged coastal villages. [53] 1703 November 26 Bristol England damaged by hurricane, Royal Navy loses 15 warships. [1] December 30 Tokyo hit by Earthquake; about 37,000 die. [1] 1706 November 3 In Italy, a violent earthquake killed 15,000 inhabitants. [53] 1709 January 5 Sudden extreme cold kills 1000s of Europeans. [1] March 27 Dike at Hardinxveld breaks (Alblasserwaard flooded). [1] 1715 July 29 Ten Spanish treasure galleons sunk off Florida coast by hurricane. [1] 1717 December 25 Floods ravage Dutch coast provinces, 1000s killed. [1] 1718 January 17 Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland; kills 53. [1] 1727 October 29 Severe earthquake in New England. [1] November 18 In Tabriz, Iran, a powerful earthquake occurs, claiming 77,000 deaths. [53] 1737 October 11 Earthquake kills 300,000 and destroys half of Calcutta India. [1] 1750 February 8 Minor earthquake in London. [1] 1755 November 1 In Lisbon, Portugal, a magnitude 8.7 earthquake occurs, claiming 70,000 deaths, one quarter of Lisbon's population. A large tsunami drowns many, and fire ravages the city. [1] [53] November 18 In Cape Ann, Massachusetts, a large earthquake occurs, causing considerable damage in Boston. [1] [53] 1759 October 31 Earthquake in Safed Palestine kills hundred. [1] November 24 Destructive eruption of Vesuvius. [1] 1762 April 2 In Bangladesh, a very destructive earthquake occurs. Sixty square miles are said to have been permanently submerged. [53] 1772 August 11 Explosive eruption blows 4,000' off Papandayan Java, kills 3,000. [1] August 31 Hurricane destroy ships off Dominica. [1] 1775 March 19 Four people buried by avalanche for 37 days, three survive (Italy). [1] 1780 January 4 Snowstorm hit Washington's army at Morristown New Jersey. [1] February 6 In Northwest Florida, one of the largest historical earthquakes in Florida occurs, Intensity VI. [53] August 11 Barbados hurricane begins. [1] October 10 Great Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000 to 30,000 in Caribbean. [1] 1783 February 4 In Calabria, Italy, one of the world's most destructive earthquakes occurs, responsible for 50,000 deaths and enormous property loss. This is the first earthquake to be investigated scientifically. [1] [53] June 8 Laki Volcano in southern Iceland begins 8-month eruption. [1] June 22 A poisonous cloud from Laki volcanic eruption in Iceland reaches Le Havre in France. [5] November 30 In New Jersey, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurs. The largest historical earthquake in New Jersey. [53] 1784 May 8 Only known deaths by hailstones in US (Winnsborough South Carolina). [1] 1791 May 16 In Near Moodus, Connecticut, an earthquake occurs, the largest historical earthquake in Connecticut. Reported felt at Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City, New York. [53] 1793 April 1 Volcano Unsen on Japan erupts killing about 53,000. [1] 1797 February 4 Earthquake in Quito, Ecuador kills 40,000. [1]