Every tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard, heat wave, record, earthquake, eruption, tsunami, wildfire and geomagnetic storm on record for December 15, in any year, each linked to its full record.
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Every event with a place, colored by kind. Tap one to open its record.
By deaths, damage and strength together, across every archive.
Billion-dollar disasters
A freeze disaster that cost $6.5 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 151, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from December 15, 1983 to December 25, 1983.
Billion-dollar disasters
A severe storm disaster that cost $2.0 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 1, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from December 15, 2021 to December 15, 2021.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Hurricane Ruth reached its peak of 180 kt (205 mph) with a central pressure of 940 mb, a category 5 storm.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in Union County, Arkansas and 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 4. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Camden, AR.
Tornadoes
125 tornadoes were recorded on December 15, 2021, in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Davao, Mindanao, Philippines. It killed 13 people, left 1 missing, injured 210, destroyed 4,546 houses and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
Earthquakes
An earthquake struck Diyarbakir (Diarbekir), Kurdistan, Turkey. It killed 20 people and injured 100.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck S Sumatera, Indonesia. It killed 8 people, injured 162, destroyed 2,500 houses and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Afyon-Bolvadin, Turkey. It killed 6 people and injured 41.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Java, Indonesia. It killed 4 people and injured 36.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in Jefferson Davis, Covington counties, Mississippi and tracked 15.9 miles, 150 yards wide at its widest.
Tornadoes
An F2 tornado touched down in Stoddard, Scott counties, Missouri and tracked 27 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 26.
30 on December 15, oldest first.
An F3 tornado touched down in Union County, Arkansas and 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 4. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Camden, AR.
An F2 tornado touched down in Columbia County, Arkansas and tracked 9.8 miles, killing 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: E Magnolia, AR.
An F3 tornado touched down in Jefferson Davis, Covington counties, Mississippi and tracked 15.9 miles, 150 yards wide at its widest.
An F2 tornado touched down in Stoddard, Scott counties, Missouri and tracked 27 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 26.
An warm and unstable air mass collided along a strong cold front to produce reports of damaging thunderstorm winds and a pair of tornadoes across portions of southwest Georgia.
An EF1 tornado touched down in Turner County, Georgia and tracked 3.5 miles, 125 yards wide at its widest, killing 1.
A strong negatively titled upper atmospheric disturbance and associated strong cold front were moving through the southeast states late on December 15th.
125 tornadoes were recorded on December 15, 2021, in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin.
An intense storm system moved across the Upper Midwest on December 15th and produced a rare severe weather outbreak across southeast Minnesota. One person was killed near Rochester (Olmsted County) when a large tree fell on the victim.
December 15, 2021 was an unprecedented and historic event for the state of Iowa and the central US.
A historic onslaught of swift moving severe thunderstorms with embedded tornadoes, followed by several hours of severe gradient winds and areas of blowing dust/smoke (and even a touch of wind-whipped snow) unfolded within South Central Nebraska on this Wednesday…
An unprecedented storm system lifted across the central Plains from December 15 into the early hours of December 16. Kinematic fields were at the top of the climatological distributions, leading to extreme wind shear in the lowest levels.
An intense storm system moved across the Upper Midwest on December 15th and produced a rare severe weather outbreak across northeast Iowa. Eight tornadoes occurred across parts of Floyd, Chickasaw and Howard Counties.
An intense storm system moved across the Upper Midwest on December 15th and produced a rare severe weather outbreak across western Wisconsin. Eight tornadoes occurred across parts of Trempealeau, Jackson and Clark Counties. Four of these tornadoes were rated EF2 and three EF1.
A low pressure system brought strong (both thunderstorm, and non-thunderstorm) winds, tornadoes, dust, snow, and record temperatures into eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.
A low pressure system of historic strength led to a variety of high-end weather impacts from the central plains to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes December 15-16.
A low pressure system brought strong (both thunderstorm, and non-thunderstorm) winds, tornadoes, dust, snow, and record temperatures into eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. The event was determined to be a derecho meeting the criteria of wind damage.
A low pressure system of historic strength led to a variety of high-end weather impacts from the central plains to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes December 15-16.
A squall line ahead of a strong cold front produced damaging winds and 2 tornadoes across West Central Florida.
A strong cold front moved through the area during the Dec 14-15 time frame, bringing with it a round of beneficial rainfall. A few severe storms also occurred across the tri-state area, including a few tornadoes.
3 on December 15, oldest first.
Hurricane Ruth reached its peak of 180 kt (205 mph) with a central pressure of 940 mb, a category 5 storm.
About 50 homes in the Sandy Point area suffered damage from seas 10-12 feet in height. 10 homes suffered major damage, in part due to driftwood that smashed into the homes along with the surf. One woman was injured from debris in the surf. Wind with this event gusted to 52 mph.
The 2023 Pacific typhoon season was the fourth and final consecutive below-average Pacific typhoon season and became the third-least active on record in terms of named storms, with only 17 developing, surpassing only the 2010 and 1998 seasons. However, the season was near-average in terms of accumulated cyclone energy (ACE).
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
4 on December 15, oldest first.
The Withlacoochee River rose to 15.8 feet on the 31st, which caused 29 homes and 60 properties along the river to flood. Flood stage for the Withlacoochee River at Trilby was 12 feet. Eight homes from Trilby to Lacoochee were destroyed and 20 more damaged by floodwaters.
Heavy rain along the Washington coast flooded roads and damaged bridges in west Clallam and Jefferson counties and caused a mudslide in Aberdeen. Forks reported about 6 inches of rain in 24 hours.
A landslide occurred during heavy rain in Airai village, just southeast of Palau International Airport in Airai State on the southern end of Babeldaob, Palau's largest island.
A cold core low pressure system produced winter storm conditions causing low elevation snow, minor flooding and isolated strong wind through the period December 15 through 17, 2009.
20 on December 15, oldest first.
Strong winds gusting across San Diego Bay and the nearshore coastal waters caused two sail boats to be blown aground and capsized a 27 foot commercial fishing vessel. Four other boats required assistance from the Coast Guard.
Strong crosswinds gusting as high as 60 mph blew a semi-truck off the Highway 97 bridge that crosses the Columbia River Gorge. The vehicle fell into the river, killing the driver.
High winds throughout the day closed roads and caused considerable damage to businesses and residences throughout the Grande Ronde Valley and the Blue Mountains. In the Blue Mountains, power was lost at Spout Springs for 3 days.
A strong pressure gradient developed over NW Washington for several days. Sustained winds of 40 mph with gusts to 60 effected parts of Western Washington at times during the 15th and 16th.
A 57 foot tall Ponderosa pine tree was blown down by the wind onto a mobile home in Bend, killing two people in their sleep. Two additional homes and a motor vehicle were also damaged by the winds.
High winds led to numerous reports of damage in the Walla Walla area. Numerous trees fell down, knocking down power lines which led to thousands of power outages. A few of the downed trees fell onto homes. The downed power lines were also blamed for a grass fire.
A strong upper level storm moved into the Southern Plains resulting in a very strong pressure gradient over West Texas. Westerly winds increased to 40 to 45 mph and gusted to as high as 67 mph over the South Plains area.
A skydiver died when shifting winds caused his parachute to fail. At least one media source reported the event as a dust devil, but this is doubtful.
An upper level trough and the tail end of a Pacific cold front traversed the region on the 15th and 16th of December. Though showers were reported across the region, the main impact was wind, with gusts exceeding 70 mph along the desert slopes.
Strong winds occurred behind a deep area of low pressure.
Strong winds occurred behind a deep area of low pressure.
A powerful storm tracking through the Upper Great Lakes produced strong and damaging winds across much of west and central Upper Michigan on the 16th.
An intense storm system brought record warmth, high winds, and a serial derecho though Iowa and the Upper Midwest on December 15th. This storm system produced a line of severe storms which continually produced damaging winds and tornadoes from Nebraska through much of Iowa.
An very anomalous storm system produced a squall line with embedded supercells on 12/15. The squall line impacted our entire CWA and caused widespread wind damage. Winds were reported as high as 100 mph with the line of storms, which is now referred to as a serial derecho.
Following behind the rare December severe weather outbreak, very strong winds buffeted southeast Minnesota from the late evening of December 15th into the morning of the 16th. Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph were common with a few gusts over 70 mph.
On December 15, 2021, a large-scale weather event rolled through the Central Plains and Upper Midwest bringing tornadoes, dust storms, wildfires, and snow across several central and northern states.
Following behind the rare December severe weather outbreak, very strong winds buffeted western Wisconsin from the late evening of December 15th into the morning of the 16th. Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph were common with a few gusts over 60 mph.
An unusually strong low pressure area tracking to the west and north of WI, generated frequent wind gusts of 45-65 mph. Scattered tree limbs and shallow rooted trees were brought down by the winds across southern WI. Some of the trees landed on homes and power lines.
Following behind the rare December severe weather outbreak, very strong winds buffeted northeast Iowa from the late evening of December 15th into the morning of the 16th. Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph were common with a few gusts over 60 mph.
63 on December 15, oldest first.
Snowstorm of December 15, 1908 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Upper Midwest. It lasted from December 15, 1908 to December 19, 1908.
Snowstorm of December 15, 1973 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Southeast. It lasted from December 15, 1973 to December 18, 1973.
A three-day snowstorm ended on this date in 1987. Snowfall totals were generally up to 4 inches across northern and central Oklahoma, with a whopping 16 inches measured at Helena, in Alfalfa County.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
A strong Low pressure system whipped up seas of 10 to 12 feet, causing moderate beach erosion. The storm damaged the Flagler Beach Pier. An employee, 36, male, of a firm rebuilding the pier was tossed into the water and floated to shore about 10 blocks South of the pier.
A wintery blast dropped heavy snow and produced blizzard-like conditions in the mountains. The storm also brought thunder and lightning with the cold front, with heavy snow making driving hazardous.
A group of skiers traveling out of bounds from a ski area triggered an avalanche. One skier was trapped and killed.
A combination of high wind gusts up to fifty-one knots and blowing snow which reduced visibilities to near zero resulted in four accidents during the afternoon hours. The four accidents involved nine vehicles in which six people were injured.
A storm system organized along the coastal area of the Carolinas early Sunday, December 14th. This system intensified and moved northeast to Cape Cod by early Monday, December 15th. The storm then moved into the Canadian Maritimes by Tuesday, December 16th.
A mix of freezing rain and sleet fell across the area from 4am to about 10am on December 15th. Preciptation changed over to all rain by noon. Clearing skies with temperatuers dropping down to around 30 the next morning resulted in areas of black ice.
Ice accretion began to cause damage in the northwest piedmont of North Carolina by late morning. Quite a few trees fell and power outages numbered in the tens of thousands. Several trees and large limbs fell on and damaged homes and vehicles.
A low pressure system moving out of the Gulf of Mexico and a strong upper-level trough pushed an area of rain across Georgia late on the 14th and early on the 15th.
Ice accretion reached damaging levels across the lower piedmont shortly before sunrise. Numerous trees fell and power outages were widespread (approx 50,000 in Anderson County alone.) Many trees and large limbs fell on and damaged homes and vehicles.
Ice accretion began to cause damage across northern portions of upstate South Carolina just prior to sunrise. By late morning, the ice storm had become quite serious, as thousands of trees fell across the area, and power outages were widespread.
By late morning, ice accretion finally began to cause damage across the northern mountains and foothills of North Carolina. Quite a few trees fell, and power outages were fairly widespread, especially from the Blue Ridge east.
A winter storm moved across southwest Virginia on the afternoon and night of the 15th of December. A band of sleet, snow and freezing rain moved through the region. As the storm progressed east, it coated the area with a 1/4 to 3/4 inch of ice.
An area of weak low pressure moved from southern Indiana into southwestern Ohio on December 15th. Snow associated with this low spread north along the Interstate 75 corridor during the morning hours.
Ice accretion began to cause damage across the southern mountains and foothills of North Carolina just prior to sunrise. By late morning, the ice storm had become quite serious, as thousands of trees fell across the area, and power outages were widespread.
A strong area of high pressure was anchored over southeastern Canada on December 15th. This high gradually moved eastward during the day, however it wedged itself down into the Mid Atlantic region, which is known as cold air damming.
A major winter storm crossed central Illinois on December 15th, with the snow on its back side lingering into the 16th.
An area of strong low pressure moved northeast across Ohio during the morning hours of December 16th. Precipitation associated with this low spread into northern Ohio on the 15th and continued till late on the 16th.
A strong area of high pressure was anchored over southeastern Canada on December 15th. This high gradually moved eastward during the day, however it wedged itself down into the Mid Atlantic region, which is known as cold air damming.
An area of strong low pressure moved northeast across Ohio and into Northwest Pennsylvania during the early afternoon hours of December 16th.
Low pressure developed over the Tennessee Valley and deepened as it moved to northern Ohio then east to the New England Coast. The system spread heavy snows across the entire region from late on the 15th through much of the 16th.
Low pressure moving northeast across the region created rain in subfreezing temperatures which resulted in a quarter to one inch of ice accumulation. Ice accumulations downed trees and power lines.
Light wintry precipitation developed early on the 15th as moist air overspread cold surface temperatures. Very light freezing rain, sleet, and snow were reported across the area, and this quickly translated into travel problems.
The first winter storm of the season brought widespread sleet and freezing rain. Up to one quarter inch of ice coated roadways during the evening commute. Sleet accumulations were generally an inch or less. Numerous accidents and slide-offs occurred.
A deep low pressure area centered over California continued to pump moisture into Mew Mexico on the 15th and 16th. A strong short wave trough ejected out of the low and helped bring widespread, heavy snow to much of the area near and north of Interstate 40.
Overunning precipitation over the top of a cold airmass, combined to produce two rounds of wintery precipitation across portions of Central and South Central Kansas late on December 15th into the early portion of December 16th, 2008.
A strong cold front pushed into Northeast Arkansas during the early morning hours of December 15th, 2008. Very shallow arctic air filtered into the region behind the front. Rain changed over to freezing rain and sleet.
A strong cold front pushed into extreme Northwest Tennessee during the early morning hours of December 15th, 2008. Very shallow arctic air filtered into the region behind the front. Rain changed over to freezing rain and sleet.
Warm moist air overran a layer of sub-freezing air at the surface, causing freezing drizzle to spread across north Texas. Dozens of wrecks were reported Tuesday as the freezing drizzle coated roads and bridges and temperatures remained below freezing throughout the day.
A large scale trough of low pressure brought two back to back storms to northern Arizona over much of a four day period. These storms brought close to two feet of new snow over the Western Mogollon Rim at 7000 feet and close to four feet of new snow above 9000 feet.
A strong winter storm with a significant Pacific moisture tap moved into the Intermountain West spreading heavy, wet snow across parts of Southeast Oregon and Southwest Idaho on the 15th and 16th of December.
A low pressure system developed over the Southern Plains during the late evening hours of December 14th, 2010. The system moved east into the Mid-South during the early morning hours of December 15th, 2010 and continued throughout the morning.
Moisture increased ahead of a weak storm system on Wednesday, December 15, 2010, across Central Alabama. Temperatures near or below freezing at the surface resulted in widespread freezing rain and sleet beginning around sunrise and lasting through most of the day.
A narrow east to west oriented corridor of light wintry precipitation worked from north to south across most of South Central Nebraska on this Wednesday, mainly between the mid-afternoon and mid-evening hours.
A weather disturbance tracked from the Plains through central Illinois on December 15th and 16th, spreading a mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the area.
Light freezing drizzle in northeast Kansas caused numerous accidents across the area. One of those accidents proved fatal, as a vehicle ran off the road at the Manhattan exit of Interstate 70.
Under fairly zonal flow aloft, an inverted surface trough pushed toward the Ohio River Valley from the southwest.
On December 16th, a low pressure system developed in the plains and then tracked east across the Tennessee Valley. The warm front moved just south of the forecast area. Wintry precipitation fell as freezing rain from the Tennessee border and north up to the Mountain Parkway.
A low pressure system tracked eastward across western Tennessee. A warm front lifted northward ahead of this system, causing freezing rain. Less than one-tenth inch of glaze formed on most surfaces, including trees and power lines. The main impact was on travel.
A significant Arctic air mass, which had spread across the southeast U.S. beginning on the 12th, was retreating slowly northeast.
A weak and relatively fast-moving weather disturbance brought a quick shot of freezing rain, sleet and snow to sections of eastern Nebraska on December 15th.
A low pressure system tracked eastward across western Tennessee. A warm front lifted northward ahead of this system, causing freezing rain. Around one-tenth inch of glazing occurred on most surfaces, including trees and power lines. The main impact was on travel.
A strong Pacific frontal system brought a prolonged period of widespread heavy snow to the Olympics and Cascade Mountains. A tow truck driver was killed when a car slid out of control on a snowy road near Snoqualmie Pass.
Lake effect snow resumed across northwestern Pennsylvania around midday on December 15th as very cold air continued to move across Lake Erie.
A persistent upper level trough over eastern Canada kept a cold westerly flow over the Great Lakes. The event started Sunday afternoon (December 15th) to the east of Lake Erie during the afternoon hours.
A low pressure system moving across the Upper Great Lakes brought a combination of moderate snow and lake enhanced snow accumulation to much of west and north central Upper Michigan from the 15th into 17th.
A powerful jet stream approaching from the eastern Pacific carved out a potent storm system over New Mexico the week before Christmas. This was the most impactful winter storm since the blizzard from December 2015 and the first significant storm of the 2016-2017 season.
Low visibilities and slick roads from lake effect snow led to numerous accidents along the Indiana Toll Road during the morning hours of December 15th. An accident near exit 133 led to one fatality.
Strong northwest flow behind a cold front passage brought snow squalls southeast across portions of Suffolk County.
An arctic front merged with a band of lake effect snow off Lake Ontario, with an intense squall of heavy snow and very strong winds moving southeast across Oswego County.
An area of low pressure moved across the central Great Lakes on December 15th. Cold air behind this system caused lake effect snow showers to develop downwind of Lake Erie.
Cold air crossing the relatively warm waters of Lakes Erie and Ontario resulted in lake effect snows. |Off Lake Erie, lake snows developed on a southerly flow across the Niagara Peninsula.
A low pressure system brought two periods of heavy snow to central Indiana beginning Sunday afternoon and continuing through Monday night with a break during the day Monday.
Early in the morning on December 15, 2019 light snow began falling, and increased intensity through the day. While this event was a pretty run of the mill winter storm, it did produce 6 to 8 inches across much of the area.
Widespread heavy snow fell across the north central sections of Kansas. Snow totals were quick to pile up and varied from 2 to 9 inches across the area. Further to the south, lighter amounts of snow fell along with patches of freezing rain.
A snowboarder was caught, carried, and killed by an avalanche in Dutch Draw on the Park City Ridgeline.
A winter storm affected most of northern and central Oklahoma on this day in 2020, two days after a storm brought widespread 3-to-6-inch accumulations over the northern half of Oklahoma. With 2 to 4 inches already on the ground, places like Woodward, Watonga, Kingfisher, and Enid added another 4 to 6 inches. Accumulating snow on the 15th reached as far south as Hobart, Lawton, and Purcell, although that snow quickly melted the next day.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
Freezing rain spread northeast across a portion of northeast Montana early Sunday morning. This resulted in 10 injuries, with 4 in Dawson county, 3 in Prairie, and 1 each in Sheridan, Roosevelt and Richland counties.
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Low temperatures dropped to 5 to 10 degrees above zero during the morning of December 15th. One woman died due to cold exposure.
Cold morning temperatures near normal across Southeastern Arizona. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that cold was the primary factor in the cause of death for two individuals, one in Nogales and one in Tucson.
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The Unnamed Fire started on December 15, 1991, in Mississippi, and burned 2,067 acres.
The Howard Fire was discovered on December 15, 2010, in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, and burned 8,000 acres; the cause was recorded as other causes.
The Hartzel Fire was discovered on December 15, 2010, in Floyd County, Texas, and burned 2,600 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Pleasant Valley Fire was discovered on December 15, 2010, in Lamb County, Texas, and burned 1,600 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Big Lake West Fire was discovered on December 15, 2010, in Reagan County, Texas, and burned 1,100 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The 48 Fire was reported on December 15, 2016, in Huerfano County, Colorado, and burned 2,000 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
During the morning to mid-afternoon hours, an intense low pressure system moved away from the Colorado Front Range and across the Central High Plains. This system was responsible for generating two rounds of high winds in Northwest Kansas.
A historic onslaught of swiftly-moving severe thunderstorms followed by several hours of intense/damaging non-convective winds that stirred up clouds of blowing dust and sparked a few large wildfires unfolded within this six-county North Central Kansas area on this Wednesday…
A very strong cold front approached the area from the northwest with a strong gradient and low level jet ahead of it out of the southwest to west prior to the frontal passage.
A very strong low pressure system tracked out of the Rockies and marched across the Central Plains into the Upper Mississippi Valley. Further up in the atmosphere, a SW to NE directional mid-level jet was present along with impressive lapse rates.
During the morning to early afternoon hours, an intense low pressure system moved away from the Colorado Front Range and across Eastern Colorado. This system was responsible for generating two rounds of high winds.
The Four County Fire was reported on December 15, 2021, in Russell County, Kansas, and burned 121,622 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The North 207 Fire was reported on December 15, 2021, in Carson County, Texas, and burned 23,810 acres.
The Parker Creek Fire was reported on December 15, 2021, in Oldham County, Texas, and burned 11,067 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Cobb Fire was reported on December 15, 2021, in Texas County, Oklahoma, and burned 7,987 acres.
The Wichita County Fire was reported on December 15, 2021, in Wichita County, Kansas, and burned 7,572 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Belcher Complex was reported on December 15, 2021, in Wichita County, Texas, and burned 1,119 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
13 on December 15, oldest first.
An earthquake struck Kashan, Iran. It did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea. It caused a tsunami.
An earthquake struck Southern Italy.
An earthquake struck Diyarbakir (Diarbekir), Kurdistan, Turkey. It killed 20 people and injured 100.
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Solomon Islands.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Off Kamchatka, Shemya, Attu, Russia. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck S Sumatera, Indonesia. It killed 8 people, injured 162, destroyed 2,500 houses and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Cotabato, Davao, Mindanao, Philippines. It killed 2 people and did $1 million in damage.
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Afyon-Bolvadin, Turkey. It killed 6 people and injured 41.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Off Central Coast, Vina del Mar, Valparaiso, Chile. It injured 4.
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Java, Indonesia. It killed 4 people and injured 36.
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Ambrym Island, Vanuatu Islands.
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Davao, Mindanao, Philippines. It killed 13 people, left 1 missing, injured 210, destroyed 4,546 houses and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
1 on December 15, oldest first.
Ambrym, Vanuatu erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. The eruption was accompanied by an earthquake.
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A tsunami struck Southeast Australia.
A tsunami with a source recorded as landslide struck Aetoliko Lagoon, Greece, with a maximum water height of 2 meters.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea.
A tsunami with a source recorded as landslide struck South Coast of Nuussuaq, Greenland, with a maximum water height of 2.5 meters. It killed 1 person and injured 3.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Kamchatka, Russia, with a maximum water height of 0.47 meters.
1 on December 15, oldest first.
A G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm began December 15, 1972, reached Kp 7- and lasted 9 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 33; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 52 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
2 on December 15, oldest first.
A freeze disaster that cost $6.5 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 151, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from December 15, 1983 to December 25, 1983.
A severe storm disaster that cost $2.0 billion in 2024 dollars and killed 1, on NOAA’s billion-dollar list. It lasted from December 15, 2021 to December 15, 2021.
5 on December 15, oldest first.
Surf breaking between 10 and 15 feet caused strong rip currents and about three feet of beach erosion along Orange and San Diego County Beaches. Lifeguards had to rescue several surfers from the rip currents.
Dense fog formed over interior sections of South Florida during the early morning hours.
One person was killed in a chain reaction accident that involved six vehicles on U.S. Highway 52 north of Oronoco (Olmsted County). The area was covered in dense fog that reduced visibility to a half mile or less during the morning of December 15th.
Dense fog developed during the morning hours across northeast Wisconsin and continued through the late afternoon hours on Friday (12/15).
High pressure led to stable conditions and cold pool formation across the Northern Rockies. This led to a prolonged period of dense fog.
Gathered from this site’s archives: the tornado record (NOAA SPC, and Grazulis before 1950), IBTrACS and the National Hurricane Center, NOAA NCEI’s Storm Events Database, Regional Snowfall Index, billion-dollar disasters list, State Climate Extremes Committee and hazard databases, USGS, NIFC, GFZ Potsdam’s Kp index (CC BY 4.0), the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, and Wikidata (CC0), with article leads from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0, each credited where it appears. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.