In 2024, we witnessed a plethora of bizarre weather events ranging from snowstorms and hurricanes to floods, droughts, wildfires, and tornadoes. Some occurrences were unprecedented in their location or timing, while others were downright strange. Here is a compilation of the most peculiar happenings of 2024, along with some additional oddities that didn’t quite make the top 10:
10. A Home Flooded by a Sudden Rush of Water
A shocking video captured in Orem, Utah, showed a flash flood bursting into a home in mid-August, resembling the force of Niagara Falls. Fortunately, no one was injured in this surprising event, which also flooded a section of Interstate 15.
9. Four Typhoons in 10 Days
The Philippines experienced an extraordinary sequence of four intense typhoons within just nine days in November. This unprecedented onslaught marked a rare occurrence in the country’s cyclone history, with all four storms active simultaneously.
8. Delayed Snowfall on Mount Fuji
In a departure from tradition, Mount Fuji, Japan’s iconic snow-capped peak, saw its first snowfall of the season in November for the first time in 130 years. This delay was attributed to record warmth in the region, prolonging the fall season and postponing the mountain’s wintry transformation.
7. Hurricane Helene Followed by Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Helene made landfall as the strongest hurricane in Florida’s Big Bend on September 26, setting a record for storm surge in the area. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton posed a new threat to regions still reeling from Helene’s impact, highlighting the challenges of successive hurricanes striking the same area.
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Forced to endure the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, residents in central Florida found themselves unable to secure hotel accommodations as they were fully booked by those who were left homeless or residing in damaged structures. The hurricane, named Milton, struck near Siesta Key on Oct. 9, causing widespread destruction including damage to Tropicana Field and a record-breaking tornado outbreak in Florida. Coastal homes were also severely impacted, with some buried under sand.
One striking example of the destructive power of tornadoes occurred during a May 21 EF4 tornado in Greenfield, Iowa. While the tornado left a path of intense damage through the town, it demolished one home completely while leaving neighboring homes relatively untouched.
The year 2024 saw an unprecedented early Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin, with Hurricane Beryl reaching this status on July 1, breaking previous records. Beryl’s maximum wind speeds reached 165 mph, making it the strongest July hurricane on record in the Atlantic Basin.
In a historic event, Wisconsin experienced its first documented February tornado in 2024, with two tornadoes touching down in southern Wisconsin. One tornado, rated as a “high end EF2”, caused significant damage across multiple counties, including a 25-mile path of destruction.
Helene, the third hurricane to hit Florida’s Big Bend area within a short span, brought catastrophic flooding along with its 140 mph winds. The storm surge reached up to 15 feet in the Big Bend region and set a modern-era record of 6 to 7 feet in the Tampa-St. Petersburg metro area. The most devastating impact of Helene was the massive inland flooding, with up to 31 inches of rain causing flash flood emergencies across several states. The flooding was reminiscent of the historic “Great Flood” of July 1916 in western North Carolina.
The devastating impact of extreme weather events in 2024 was truly unprecedented. From the overflowing Swannanoa River at Biltmore, south of Asheville, to the dramatic evacuations from a flooded hospital in eastern Tennessee, the scenes were unimaginable. By the time of this report, the U.S. Geological Survey had estimated over 2,000 landslides caused by Helene’s wrath.
The powerful winds of Helene swept through the southern Appalachians, leaving over 4 million people without power from Florida to the Appalachians. The storm felled thousands of trees, starkly contrasting with the vibrant fall foliage that had once adorned the landscape.
As of late December, NOAA reported at least 225 deaths attributed to Helene’s destructive winds and flooding, making it the deadliest mainland U.S. hurricane since Katrina in 2005 and the deadliest Atlantic Basin hurricane since Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Moving on to the unexpected drought in the Northeast during the fall of 2024, a region more commonly associated with lush greenery found itself in the grip of an unprecedented dry spell. Cities like Atlantic City, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., experienced record long dry streaks, with Philadelphia enduring a 42-day period without any measurable precipitation for the first time since 1871. The prolonged drought led to water scarcity and heightened wildfire risks in the region.
Additionally, the year saw devastating floods in unexpected places, such as the Arabian Peninsula and parts of the Sahara Desert. In mid-April, the UAE and Oman were inundated by heavy rainfall, leading to unprecedented flooding that claimed several lives. Subsequently, the Sahara Desert experienced an unusual wet period during the summer and early fall, culminating in a significant September flood event.
The year 2024 will be remembered for its bizarre and extreme weather occurrences that tested communities around the world and highlighted the urgent need for preparedness and resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Northern Sudan, as reported by NASA, experienced an unusual weather event as a non-tropical low-pressure system made its way into northwest Africa in early September. This system brought in moisture, resulting in heavy rainfall in parts of Algeria and Morocco. In one village in southern Morocco, an astonishing 3.9 inches of rain fell within a mere 24-hour period, a quantity comparable to the region’s typical annual rainfall. The subsequent flooding wreaked havoc on several villages, causing damage to homes, roads, and infrastructure, and leading to power outages and water service disruptions. Tragically, at least 20 individuals lost their lives due to the floods, as confirmed by the Associated Press.
The aftermath of the flooding painted a surreal picture across the landscape, with dry rivers and lakes now brimming with water amidst the sandy terrain. This unexpected turn of events offered a glimmer of hope as it was anticipated that the rainfall might help replenish groundwater reserves in the region, following six years of persistent drought.
In addition to these noteworthy occurrences, several other peculiar events from the year 2024 caught the attention of many, though they did not secure a spot in the top 10 list. These anomalies included:
– The Las Vegas Sphere displaying a melting emoji during a record-breaking heatwave.
– A rare sight of four Eastern Pacific storms simultaneously, a phenomenon unseen in 50 years, with two of the storms pairing up.
– Seoul, South Korea encountering its heaviest November snowfall in 117 years.
– Vehicles in New Mexico being stranded by hail drifts.
– The largest wildfire in Texas since 1988 consuming a mesonet station and resulting in a unique “smokeboob” formation.
– Damage to a plane’s nose caused by a hailstorm.
– A B-52 aircraft being displaced by a tornado.
– The emergence of the smallest Atlantic Basin hurricane in decades.
– A peculiar incident where a flood in northern Vermont coincidentally recurred exactly one year after a prior flood in the same location.
