5 Bizarre Ways the Weather Can Kill You Without Warning
#2.
Heat Burst
What the...?
So you're relaxing on your porch after a storm, pretty much enjoying yourself when you notice the temperature going up, and fast. Like somebody just turned on an oven, and you're inside.
Then, a howling wind kicks up out of fucking nowhere and knocks you flat on your back right there on your own damn porch. And maybe takes the porch with it, too.
They call it a heat burst. They're as vicious as tornadoes, only tiny and even harder to predict. The first one on record is in Portugal, 1949, and while there were no official instruments to record the temperature, it was reported that it spiked from 100 to 158 degrees in only two horrifying minutes.
Then, just like that, it was gone.
What? How?!?
Like most of the items on this list, scientists only have an educated guess as to what causes these sudden, pants-shittingly rapid rises in temperature.
What we know is there is also a huge drop in moisture in the spot. They usually appear in the wake of a storm, so one explanation is that evaporated water mixes with air, which causes it to drop really fast. This compresses the air, and compressed air naturally heats up. Then it expands, creating a sudden wind that breaks shit.
We like to think of it as mother nature farting right in your face, and there's nothing you can do about it.
Chances of it Happening to YOU:
There have been four reported heat bursts in the United States this year. It's still a pretty slim chance the thing would actually hit your town, but it's not like you can really do anything about it if it does.
That's the thing, even a tornado gives you some warning. These things can just pop up and start smacking you with broken tree limbs. What could be worse than a sudden invisible mini-tornado?
#1.
Invisible Tornadoes
What the...?
This one is like a scene from a horror movie. There you are, minding your own business, say, camping with your girlfriend. Then comes this strange sound, and the wind picks up. You can't tell which direction it's coming from...but it's close.
When you get up to investigate, BAM! You get slammed with a 100 mile an hour wind, and flung 500 feet away.
It's the fabled invisible tornado, or as we like to call it, the ninja tornado.
Photoshop courtesy of Bakudai.
What? How?!?
The only reason you can see a regular tornado is because of the dirt and water particles flying around in it. Its just swirling wind, after all.
However, tornadoes sometimes happen in places with little or no debris to pick up, like rocky deserts. All it takes is a vast difference in temperature between weather systems. In an environment with no moisture, you'll have a whirling cloud of death that you will never see coming.
No tornado here. Or is there?
Chances of it Happening to YOU:
These things are pretty rare, even in the rocky desert. Still, if traveling to such an area, we recommend you scatter a ring of debris around you wherever you go, just in case. For many of us, this does not require a change in lifestyle.
For more reason's to be afraid right now, check out The 5 Most Horrifying Bugs in the World. Or check out our liveblog of last night's Presidential debate.
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ReplyI remember reading about a particular storm that struck a church back in the 1630s. Ball lightning blasted through the church door, knocking this man backwards, smashing his head against a pillar so hard his brain literally flew out and hit the ground. Brutal.
ReplyI read the Little House on the Prairie books as a kid, and Laura mentions ball lighting randomly shooting down the chimney and out her woodstove at one point. One of them (I think it might even have been her) tried to stomp on it. She's probably lucky it didn't burn her foot off.
ReplyBall lightning is some freaky shit. My mom and I witnessed it numerous times when I was a kid. It always happened in the same room of a house we lived in at the time and always during a thunderstorm.
Replyim from honduras , that s**t happens no lie . sounds kinda nasty , we would eat fish that were on the floor , shit's tough over there . haaa
Replyi have seen that happen in yoro and in some parts of the south of Honduras! some times crabs comes with the fish or only crabs sometimes its awesome!!! when that happens everyone makes Sopa de mariscos!! :D
Replyi wonder if it's possible to play soccer with ball lightning
ReplyThat would be the most badass soccer game of all time.
I live in Bath, we don't speak of the Jellyfish incident.
Replydark and difficult times.
Invisible tornadoes? I'm officially terrified!
ReplyFish rain only happens in the Department of Yoro in Honduras. Its really famous and everyone knows someone who's seen it but I've yet to see a picture or see it reported in a newspaper or tv.
ReplyI once experienced a rainbow and ALOT of rain during a day with no clouds as far as the eye could see. Completely sunny, yet I got soaked from rain. And the only thing giving it away was a complete rainbow. For about 30 seconds, then it was over. :P
ReplyI recall a random, oddly-shaped rainbow in the sky, but with no or little white clouds and no rain. It didn't last long, by the time I took a picture, there was only a faint trace of it left.
It was likely moisture in the air, or rain that evaporated before it reached ground (somewhat common).
hey crazy..i was born in that town in nebraska. the only time i imagine it has ever made the news.
ReplyI wonder if they ever confused a heat burst with a microburst...
ReplyI thought I saw ball lighting once. I saw this flash of lightning hit this transformer and a curled looking lightning bolt above it for a few seconds. About a half an hour later the phone line repairmen were there.
I was actually in a house once that was hit by ball lightening. It was horrible, no one was hurt, but we were unable to hear after the big bang that started it, and my grandfather was throw out of bed. It actually took a chunk out of a cement wall, hit a flash light and made the glass turn white, hit a refridgerator's coils the darted across the room to hit a metal cabinet, which made the pain crackle and fall off then the bed springs and was gone. Probably only took a couple of seconds but it seemed a lot longer.
ReplySounds like my son when he was learning to drive. Maybe it's just aliens learning to drive a space pod.
Nature farts... HAHAHA
ReplyI can't even begin to tell how much is incorrect about what you said about the raining of animals being caused by tornados. You obviously haven't looked into that subject at all or you would know how ludicris it is to say that it is just tornados.
ReplyOh yea. Because all the OTHER theories on how it happens are more credible than calling it "magic". STFU.
Not a smart idea trying to capture ball lightning, considering that it could A: melt the jar, or B: explode and horribly burn or kill you. There are records of ball lighting being able to burn and melt rocks.
ReplyIf you are stupid enough to take the recommendation of capturing ball lightning in a jar seriously you kinda deserve to die.
I saw some ball lightning once or twice, or maybe three times... I live in a pretty strange area. Weird thing though, the one time it came up from the ground and then moved left abruptly. It's strange to see s**t like that change direction. At least now I know what it was, thanks for the new brain food.
ReplyCome to think of it, perhaps some medieval townsfolk high on some bad rye bread mistook ball lightning for will o' the wisps...
I'm Honduran,but I don't live in Honduras. But I've heard of it. I really don't see anything wrong with it raining small fish. Sounds pretty awesome to watch.
ReplyThe animal raining happened to my dad. His family was driving in a storm and all of a sudden there were frogs and fish f*****g everywhere. Picture this: Family of four in a car. Rain and frogs hammer on the roof, the windshield wipers are clogged with guts and blood, the windsheild is a mess and you can barely see through it. The mother is screaming, the father is yelling, the little sister is crying, and my dad is yelling too. I wish Id been there.
Reply