Every tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard, heat wave, record, earthquake, eruption, tsunami, wildfire and geomagnetic storm on record for January 15, in any year, each linked to its full record.
Every event with a place, colored by kind. Tap one to open its record.
By deaths, damage and strength together, across every archive.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck San Juan Province, Argentina. It killed 10,000 people, injured 35,000 and did $100 million in damage.
Earthquakes
The 1944 San Juan earthquake took place on 15 January in the province of San Juan, in the center-west area of Argentina, a region highly prone to seismic events. This moderate to strong earthquake destroyed a large part of San Juan, the provincial capital, and killed 10,000 of its inhabitants, 10 percent of its population at the time.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Earthquakes
The 1934 Nepal–India earthquake or 1934 Bihar–Nepal earthquake was one of the worst earthquakes in India's history. The towns of Munger and Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 8 earthquake struck Bihar, Nepal, India. With the tsunami it caused, it killed 10,600 people and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
Tsunamis
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8 earthquake struck Bihar-Nepal, Ganges River. It killed 10,600 people and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Sicily, Italy. It killed 216 people, injured 563 and did $320 million in damage.
Earthquakes
2 earthquake struck Majene Regency in West Sulawesi, Indonesia, on 15 January 2021, at 02:28 WITA. 2 mi) depth with an epicenter inland, located 32 km (20 mi) south of Mamuju.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Floods
The Great Molasses Flood, also known as the Boston Molasses Disaster, was a disaster that occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Volcanoes
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 6. It killed 6 people, injured 20, destroyed 284 houses and did $135.4 million in damage. The eruption caused a tsunami.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Arequipa, Peru. It killed 28 people, injured 133 and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Hokkadio, Kushiro, Hachinohe, Honshu, Japan. It killed 2 people and did $358 million in damage.
Earthquakes
An earthquake struck Bourava, Gouraya, Algeria. It killed 36 people and destroyed 75 houses. It caused a tsunami.
14 on January 15, oldest first.
An F2 tornado touched down in Madison County, Tennessee and tracked 1.3 miles, 70 yards wide at its widest, killing 4. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: NE Pinson, TN.
An F2 tornado touched down in Sumter County, Georgia and tracked 2 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 1.
A tornado destroyed a mobile home injuring 3 people.
Six houses were damaged by this tornado. One grocery store had major damage. Two people inside the grocery store had minor injuries. One mobile home was destroyed. Three cars were blown off of Highway 98. Numerous trees were blown down.
A tornado completely destroyed a frame home badly injuring a man. Other nearby homes received minor damage. Scores of trees were snapped or uprooted.
A weak F1 tornado touched down just northeast of Wright Basin. Numerous trees were blown down and several homes were damaged. One home had most of its roof taken off. Numerous boathouses were destroyed with several boats torn from their moorings.
A tornado damaged four homes.
A tornado pushed one mobile home over, damaged another and destroyed a shed. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted.
A low pressure system offshore of Alabama lifted a warm front across Florida during the late morning hours. The southern portion of the peninsula was in the warm sector with a very moist and unstable airmass in place.
Tornadoes occurred. Read the title.
An unstable atmosphere, with strong wind shear and moderate instability, resulted in the development of a Quasi-Linear Convective System or squall line as a Pacific cold front move across West Central Texas.
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Hurricane Alex crossed the coast as a tropical storm, 55 kt, central pressure 986 mb. Hurricane Alex was the first Atlantic hurricane to occur in January since Hurricane Alice of 1954–55. Alex originated as a non-tropical low near the Bahamas on January 7, 2016.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
10 on January 15, oldest first.
The Great Molasses Flood, also known as the Boston Molasses Disaster, was a disaster that occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Rain amounts of 2.0 to 2.5 inches...with peaks up to 3 inches... in the Southern Sierra Nevada foothills in East Merced and West Mariposa Counties lead to small streams running at bankfull in Merced County.
A stationary front across the Ohio Valley caused heavy rain to fall across the area on January 14th and 15th. Most locations saw between one and two inches of rainfall. Runoff from this rain caused streams and rivers across northern Ohio to quickly rise.
A stationary front remained over Northeast Arkansas during the early morning hours of 1/15/07. Heavy rain developed along the front and produced flash flooding over Northeast Arkansas.
A large Pacific weather system became established in mid January that produced copious amounts of rainfall with unseasonably warm conditions in parts of Washington.
Significant synoptic scale event produced several inches of rain over much of the area.
A high impact mini atmospheric river impacted Southern California January 14th and 15th which brought heavy rain and snow to the region. Seal Beach reported 2 inches of rain in 2 hours, which caused extensive flash flooding.
A prolonged period of single digit and sub-zero temperatures caused large areas of anchor ice developed on the Spring Creek in the northeastern section of Choteau, which caused up to a couple of feet flood water to enter parts of a nearby residential area and a section of…
The strong storm that brought widespread precipitation and additional flooding to the area on January 14 was followed by another storm which moved through the area between the afternoon of January 15 and the afternoon of January 16.
An eastward-progressing mid-/upper-level disturbance interacting with a surface trough over southwest Florida produced a slow-moving cluster of thunderstorms that produced localized heavy rainfall totaling 5-10 inches with locally higher amounts over parts of Lee County near…
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A strong Pacific front moved into Western Oregon early in the morning. A line of strong and severe thunderstorms developed along the front producing damaging wind gusts. Winds gusted to 70 mph at Netarts and 61 mph at Sea Lion Caves.
Downburst winds caused damage in the community of Loreauville. Two homes were pushed off their concrete foundations, and one barn was nearly destroyed. Three people received minor injuries - cuts and bruises.
Deep low pressure moving from south central Canada into North Dakota brought a prolonged period of high winds across the entire region. Peak wind gusts as high as 75 miles per hour were recorded, with many locations gusting in excess of 60 miles per hour.
Storm David was a compact but deadly European windstorm that heavily affected the British Isles, France, Benelux, Central Europe, Northern Italy, Poland and parts of Eastern Europe in early 2018 with widespread hurricane-force gusts and severe snowfall, creating blizzard conditions in some areas. The storm caused extensive damage and traffic disruption.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A clipper system and arctic blast brought strong winds and pockets of light to moderate snow showers.
63 on January 15, oldest first.
Snowstorm of January 15, 1954 was ranked category 1, Notable, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains. It lasted from January 15, 1954 to January 19, 1954.
Snowstorm of January 15, 1964 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the South. It lasted from January 15, 1964 to January 17, 1964.
On January 15th and 16th back in 1964, a strong winter storm system dumped 5 to 9 inches of snow along the Red River Valley of south-central and southeast Oklahoma. The heaviest total was in Choctaw County, where Boswell reported 9 inches.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
Snowstorm of January 15, 1996 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Upper Midwest. It lasted from January 15, 1996 to January 20, 1996.
The 3rd blizzard to hit North Dakota in less than 3 weeks affected mainly the east-central and eastern part of the state. Again, like the previous blizzard, the winds was the major weather factor. Wind gusts at times were over 50 mph.
On January 15th, 4 to 6 inches of snow fell across much of northern Illinois. A narrow band of heavy snow fell from Aurora, in southeast Kane County, to southern Lake County Illinois.
A winter storm developed over the central Rockies and moved east into the Midwest. The storm brought between 4 and 6 inches of snow to a large part of central Illinois north of I-70.
A winter storm in the plain states moved into Indiana on January 15th producing rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow across most parts of the state. Freezing rain did not result in widespread power outages but did lead to numerous car accidents.
A moist west-northwest flow with embedded shortwaves was over the region during this time. Avalanches continued to occur in the Wasatch mountains. The highest snow totals were at Alta 30" and Trenton 7" (valleys). 2 snowmobilers were killed in separates slides.
A winter storm brought a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow to much of southwest Tennessee. Numerous trees, power lines and phone lines were brought down by the freezing rain and sleet leaving more than 75,000 homes without power.
Snow, ice and standing water caused at least five traffic accidents on I-84 east of The Dalles. Four people were sent to area hospitals, but none of them appeared to be seriously injured.
Low pressure moved up the Atlantic Coast, bringing a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet to a large part of central Pennsylvania. Ice accumulated up to 1/4-inch in many locations, but there was little damage to trees and powerlines, and only spotty power outages.
On January 15 and 16, a winter storm moved from the southeast Atlantic coast north to the southern New Jersey coast and then out to sea. This storm dumped heavy snow across the southern Adirondacks and upper Hudson Valley.
Warm moist air overrunning shallow polar surface air produced a variety of winter weather, starting around daybreak on the 15th and continuing just after midnight on the 16th.
An area of low pressure over the southeastern United States on Thursday, January 15th moved northeast to a position along the mid-atlantic coast late Thursday night (January 15) and moved to a location east of New England later Friday afternoon (January 16).
An area of low pressure over the southeastern United States on Thursday, January 15th moved northeast to a position along the mid-atlantic coast late Thursday night and moved to a location east of New England later Friday afternoon, January 16th.A few reports of snow…
An area of low pressure over the southeastern United States on Thursday, January 15th moved northeast to a position along the mid-atlantic coast late Thursday night (January 15) and moved to a location east of New England later Friday afternoon (January 16th).A few reports of…
Warm moist air overrunning a shallow polar surface air mass produced a variety of winter weather beginning around daybreak on the 15th and continuing until just after midnight on the 16th.
Near record snowfalls of four to six feet across the region during the last part of December and first half of January put a strain on area buildings. Roof collapses and entire structure failures were numerous across the area.
Low pressure moved to the south of the area and produced a general heavy snowfall across the region. The heavy, wet snow combined with freezing rain across the Southern Tier. The heavy snows again resulted in traffic tie-ups and school closings.
A cold arctic storm dropped several inches of fluffy snow across Northern Utah. The slick roads resulted in hundreds of mainly minor traffic accidents along the Wasatch Front.
A winter storm spread west to east over north central and northeast Kansas beginning the afternoon of the 15th before ending the morning of the 16th. Over north central Kansas snow was preceded by freezing rain which caused icy roads.
Cold westerly winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop around midnight. These snow showers intensified during the morning hours and continued through the afternoon. This activity finally dissipated during the evening hours.
A weak low approached from the upper Great Lakes and slowly passed to our north during Wednesday the 15th. Lake effect snows began to develop off Lake Erie during the evening hours of the 14th.
Cold westerly winds blowing across Lake Erie caused lake effect snow showers to develop around midnight. These snow showers intensified during the morning hours and continued through the afternoon. This activity finally dissipated during the evening hours.
A large, and rather moist storm system moved up from the southwest from the tropics. This storm system dropped heavy snow to northern and central Idaho before raising snow levels to over 7000 feet by the evening of the 18th.
An intensifying area of low pressure passing south of New England and into the Gulf of Maine produced a wintry mix of precipitation and gusty northeast winds across Massachusetts during the morning of 15 January 2006.
An arctic cold front moved across Vermont during the night of the 14th and early morning of the 15th. Record warm temperatures in the 40s and 50s on Saturday (14th), were replaced with temperatures in the single numbers and teens Sunday.
An arctic cold front moved across northern Vermont during the night of the 14th and early morning of the 15th. Record warm temperatures in the 40s and 50s on Saturday (14th), were replaced with temperatures in the single numbers and teens Sunday.
Cold air poured into South Central Texas on January 14 and 15 in the wake of a strong cold front, with temperatures ranging from the mid 30s to just below freezing early on the morning of January 15.
Low pressure tracked from the Ohio Valley through the Mass Turnpike region of southern New England, bringing a prolonged period of freezing rain and sleet to southwest New Hampshire.
Surface low pressure traveled along a stationary boundary draped across northern New York on the 15th.
Arctic air following a frontal passage set off lake effect snows early on Friday 16th.
This lake effect storm evolved gradually from a synoptic snow as a clipper exited to a northwest flow across Lake Ontario.
On the 15th, a front remained stalled to the southeast of Arkansas. As an area of low pressure traveled along the front, moisture was thrown back into the cold air over Arkansas.
An upper level disturbance moved through the Mid-South January 15th into January 16th, 2013. Temperatures remained near or below freezing following another upper level disturbance that moved through on January 14th, 2013.
As a plume of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico continued streaming northeastward into Middle Tennessee during the afternoon hours on Tuesday, January 15th through the early morning hours on Wednesday, January 16th, and with surface temperatures near freezing, freezing rain that…
A strong cold front brought a shallow and very chilly air mass southward into the ArkLaMiss the night of January 13th.
A strong cold front moved through Northwest Louisiana during the evening hours of January 13th and the predawn hours of January 14th. Rain and a few storms accompanied the passage of this cold front across the northern half of the state.
A strong cold front brought a shallow and very chilly air mass southward into the ArkLaMiss the night of January 13th.
A strong cold front brought a shallow and very chilly air mass southward into the ArkLaMiss the night of January 13th.
Across most of western Kentucky, one to two inches of snow fell during the morning hours. Lesser amounts of one-half inch or less occurred along the Tennessee border from Murray to Hopkinsville. The snow fell in bands oriented from west to east.
Across most of southeast Missouri, one to two inches of snow fell during the early morning hours. Lesser amounts of one-half inch or less occurred along the Arkansas border from Doniphan to New Madrid. The snow fell in bands oriented from west to east.
An occluded front passage brought moderate to heavy snow for much of the northern half of Eastern Washington Thursday night into Friday morning of January 15th and 16th.
A widespread ice storm occurred on this Sunday and Monday. This was the most significant ice storm, for south central Nebraska, since December 2006. The amounts and impacts were not as significant as that event, but this event covered a much larger area.
As high pressure moved eastward out of the region, southerly flow returned bringing with it a surge of moisture and opportunities for precipitation. Temperature profiles were such that a widespread ice storm was likely across large portions of central and western Iowa.
A widespread ice storm occurred on this Sunday and Monday. Ice amounts were generally 0.25-0.5, with locally higher amounts. An observer 7 miles north-northeast of Natoma measured 0.75.
An arctic airmass moved southwest through northeastern New Mexico early in the morning on Martin Luther King Jr Day then surged through gaps in the central mountain chain by late in the afternoon.
An Arctic front brought widespread precipitation across central Kentucky on January 15 and 16. The very cold temperatures led to extremely high snow to liquid ratios and amounts ranged from 3 to locally 6 inches. This led to widespread travel disruptions and school cancellations.
A strong upper level trough combined with a powerful Arctic cold front to bring widespread snow to all of Middle Tennessee from Monday evening, January 15 through Tuesday afternoon, January 16.
An upper level disturbance moved through the Ohio Valley on the morning of January 15th producing light snowfall. Afterwards, a clipper system moved through the region producing more snowfall into the overnight hours.
It was mild on the 15th with readings in the 40s and 50s. The high at El Dorado (Union County) was 58 degrees, with 57 degrees at Monticello (Drew County), and 54 degrees at Mount Ida (Montgomery County).
An avalanche in the Baker Creek area in Blaine County killed a 50 year old man of Jerome Idaho. Two snowmobliers were caught in the avalanche at about 9,000 feet in elevation and only one survived.
An upper trough amplified as it moved across the west coast. Widespread precipitation occurred with the trough including heavy mountain snow.
Beginning during the evening of January 15th and continuing through the 16th a warm front pushed north through eastern Washington. The East Slopes of the Cascades and the adjacent Columbia Basin zones were under the deepest moisture feed and received heavy snow accumulations.
A winter storm in the Great Lakes on January 15th, transferred energy to a developing coastal low of the NJ coast during the morning of the 16th. Precipitation began late evening on the 15th across NY with rain in the valleys and wet snow in the higher elevations.
A strong upper level low pressure system moved through the Red River Valley into East Texas and North Louisiana during the afternoon and evening of January 15th, reinforcing a strong cold front through East Texas, Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest Arkansas, and North Louisiana…
Rain overspread Middle Tennessee during the evening hours on January 15, with the rain mixing with and changing to snow on the morning of January 16 before ending by that evening.
A rather disorgranized system brought an extended period of generally light snow to central Pennsylvania from the afternoon of January 15 through the morning of January 16, 2024.
A southern stream disturbance ventured into the Central Appalachians and brought a snow storm to West Virginia beginning on January 15th.
A very amplified longwave upper level trough situated west of the Mississippi River Valley drove an arctic airmass well into the Gulf of Mexico. It's position, west of the Mississippi River, is common for previous events of very cold airmasses and frozen precipitation locally.
Multiple waves of low pressure moved along a frontal boundary bringing several rounds of snow. Two day totals averaged two to five inches. Amounts of four to eight inches were observed across western Highland County and a stripe of four to seven inches across northern Virginia.
Light snow developed over eastern Middle Tennessee during the afternoon of January 15, 2026. While snow accumulations were less than one half inch, a quick burst of snow resulted in slick road conditions near Cookeville in Putnam County.
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Temperatures a few degrees below zero were accompanied by wind gusts over 40 mph creating wind chills as cold as 70 below zero. Drifting snow and areas of low visibility in blowing snow also occurred in open areas.
During the night of the 14th into the morning of the 15th a low pressure tracked east, then northeast across the central U.S. The low passed south of Iowa, leaving behind a fresh 2 to 5 inches of fluffy snow. There was no wind associated with this snowfall.
Governor of Minnesota canceled school on 1/16 due to extreme wind chills. Wind chills in 40 to 60 below range much of period. Coldest wind chill noted was 63 below at Alexandria at 7 am on 1/16.
Following the departing Alberta Clipper low pressure system, another arctic air mass invaded Pennsylvania. While temperatures were slightly higher than the previous outbreak on the 10th and 11th, winds were stronger and the wind chill factors were lower.
75 year old man found dead in his home in Oak Lawn, Cook County. Overnight low temperature was 13F.
A deep low pressure system in southeast Canada combined with a large area of high pressure in the province of Ontario Canada to create northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph across the area.
Arctic high pressure built southeast from Canada on Thursday, the 15th of January and Friday the 16th of January. Wind chills during Thursday, January 15th and Friday, January 16th were generally between 25 and 45 below zero.
A deep low pressure system in southeast Canada combined with a large area of high pressure in the province of Ontario, Canada to create northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph across the area. This high pressure system also ushered in below zero temperatures.
A disabled woman was found dead of exposure outside of Como Park Conservatory. She arrived at the conservatory via cab for a wedding around 7 PM on the 15th but was never seen inside the building.
Bitterly cold air poured into central Illinois in the wake of a departing storm system. Thanks to clear skies over a fresh snow cover, early morning temperatures on January 15th and 16th plunged well below zero in much of central and eastern Illinois.
The upper level pattern the second week of January had a very strong long-wave trough across the Great Lakes region that basically caused significant arctic air to invade the upper Midwest.
A bitter cold snap caused a man to freeze to death in Hamilton county.
Onen of the coldest arctic blasts in 10 to 15 years numbed residents of South-central and Southeast Wisconsin during the period of Thursday, January 15th through the noon hour on January 16th.
A strong area of arctic high pressure moved from the Northern Plains on on January 15th to the Upper Ohio Valley by late in the day on January 16th. The high eventually shifted east of the area on the 17th. Very cold temperatures accompanied this high.
A period of cold winter weather led to the death of an elderly man in Shelbyville. The man was found dead outside his home at around 10 AM on January 15th when temperatures were in the teens. The man was lying on the ground, most likely the result of a trip or fall.
An unseasonably cold upper level low pressure system developed across the western United States starting on Friday, January 11, and it persisted through Tuesday, January 15.
Low temperatures in the teens and low 20s mid January contributed to the death of two people in Will County. An elderly man was found outside his home in Bolingbrook. A 30-year-old female was found in a self storage facility.
An elderly woman passed away from exposure after wandering away from a Rochester (Olmsted County) care facility. The woman left the building very early January 15th and was found about 5 hours later. She was only wearing pants, a shirt and bathrobe.
After a relatively mild winter day Sunday, a low pressure system sweeping in from Canada and the Dakotas ushered in an arctic air mass. The cold front began its entry into Iowa around 6pm CST Sunday and quickly moved across Iowa by about 3am CST Monday.
A 75-year old man was found dead in an alleyway in Iron River on the morning of the 16th. Police said that health and weather were contributing factors in the man's death.
A strong surge of Arctic air invaded North Louisiana during mid-January with bitterly cold temperatures and gusty northerly winds.
Cold temperatures blasted into the Ohio River Valley in the wake of a cold front on January 15th. A southern stream disturbance grazing parts of the Appalachians brought light snow showers to parts of southeast Ohio, but only resulted in light accumulations at best.
An Arctic cold front ushered in the coldest air mass of the season to Deep South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley with widespread sub-freezing temperatures January 15-17. Subfreezing temperatures arrived during the morning of the 15th as the first surge of cold air arrived.
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A large grass fire occurred in the Owasso area near 116th Street North between Sheridan and Memorial. As many as ten structures were destroyed by the fire; none were homes.
The Four Corners Fire was discovered on January 15, 2006, in Thomas County, Nebraska, and burned 5,954 acres; the cause was recorded as equipment and vehicle use.
The SRR13 Fire was discovered on January 15, 2008, in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, and burned 7,116 acres.
Persistent dry conditions and low relative humidity values resulted in a wildfire across southern South Carolina.
Despite recent snowfall over the past week, fuels became receptive enough, as minimum afternoon relative humidity values dropped to near 10 percent and downsloping northwest winds increased to around 30 to 40 mph with gusts near 50 mph, to allow for a wildfire to start in the…
The Ft. Lyons Fire was reported on January 15, 2021, in Bent County, Colorado, and burned 1,430 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
A strong cold front followed by strong high pressure produced a tight pressure gradient and strong winds across South Central Texas.
The Mill Creek Fire was reported on January 15, 2022, in Shackelford County, Texas, and burned 1,696 acres.
The Calf Fire was reported on January 15, 2026, in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, and burned 1,575 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
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An earthquake struck Rey, Iran.
The 1038 Dingxiang earthquake devastated present-day Shanxi Province, northern China on 9 January. 25 earthquake struck Dingxiang and Xinxian counties.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
An earthquake struck Chin,hsi Tai IN Tai,yuan, Shanxi Province, China. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000) and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
An earthquake struck Zilina, Slovakia. It did $50,000 in damage.
An earthquake struck Bourava, Gouraya, Algeria. It killed 36 people and destroyed 75 houses. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck Gorgan (Astrabad), Turkmenistan, Iran.
An earthquake struck East Coast, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. It caused a tsunami.
An earthquake struck Ligurian Coast, Italy. It caused a tsunami.
An earthquake struck Sagami, Japan. It killed 14 people and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
The 1931 Oaxaca earthquake affected portions of southern Mexico on January 14 at 18:50 MST. 0 on the surface-wave magnitude scale and had a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Oaxaca, Mexico.
The 1934 Nepal–India earthquake or 1934 Bihar–Nepal earthquake was one of the worst earthquakes in India's history. The towns of Munger and Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 8 earthquake struck Bihar, Nepal, India. With the tsunami it caused, it killed 10,600 people and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Italy. It killed 1 person and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage. It caused a tsunami.
An earthquake struck San Juan, Argentina.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck San Juan Province, Argentina. It killed 10,000 people, injured 35,000 and did $100 million in damage.
The 1944 San Juan earthquake took place on 15 January in the province of San Juan, in the center-west area of Argentina, a region highly prone to seismic events. This moderate to strong earthquake destroyed a large part of San Juan, the provincial capital, and killed 10,000 of its inhabitants, 10 percent of its population at the time.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Lar, Iran. It killed 13 people.
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Arequipa, Peru. It killed 28 people, injured 133 and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Lima,nazca,ica,huancavelic,palpa,huaitara, Peru.
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck Sicily, Italy. It killed 216 people, injured 563 and did $320 million in damage.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Bandanaira, Maluku, Indonesia. It destroyed 81 houses. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Hokkadio, Kushiro, Hachinohe, Honshu, Japan. It killed 2 people and did $358 million in damage.
The 1993 Kushiro–Oki earthquake was one of two large earthquake to strike the Japanese island of Hōkkaido within the same year. 8 MJMA struck at 11:06 UTC or 08:06 pm JST on January 15 near the town of Ashoro.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Kuril Islands, Russia. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Cariaco, Venezuela. It injured 11.
2 earthquake struck Majene Regency in West Sulawesi, Indonesia, on 15 January 2021, at 02:28 WITA. 2 mi) depth with an epicenter inland, located 32 km (20 mi) south of Mamuju.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Hormozgan Province, Iran. It injured 1.
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Colima, Mexico erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000).
Bardarbunga, Iceland erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2.
Yasur, Vanuatu erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. It killed 1 person.
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 6. It killed 6 people, injured 20, destroyed 284 houses and did $135.4 million in damage. The eruption caused a tsunami.
In December 2021, an eruption began on Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai, a submarine volcano in the Tongan archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. The eruption reached a very large and powerful climax nearly four weeks later, on 15 January 2022.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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A tsunami with a source recorded as volcano struck Philippine Sea, Northwest Pacific Ocean.
A tsunami with a source recorded as earthquake struck Sea of Alboran, Algeria. It killed 36 people and destroyed 75 houses.
A tsunami with a source recorded as earthquake struck East Coast, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea.
A tsunami with a source recorded as earthquake struck Ligurian Sea, Italy.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8 earthquake struck Bihar-Nepal, Ganges River. It killed 10,600 people and did extreme (about $25 million or more) damage.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Northern Sicily, Italy. It killed 1 person and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A tsunami with a source recorded as landslide struck Central-South, Iceland, with a maximum water height of 75 meters.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Banda Sea, Indonesia. It destroyed 81 houses.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Kamchatka, Russia, with a maximum water height of 0.11 meters.
A tsunami with a source recorded as volcano struck Tonga Islands, with a maximum water height of 22 meters. It killed 6 people, injured 20, destroyed 284 houses and did $135.4 million in damage.
A tsunami with a source recorded as meteorological struck Rio DE LA Plata Estuary, Argentina, with a maximum water height of 0.19 meters.
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A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm began January 15, 1945, reached Kp 6 and lasted 6 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 36; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 55 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm began January 15, 1952, reached Kp 6 and lasted 6 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 34; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 55 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm began January 15, 1961, reached Kp 6- and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 19; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 57 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 15, 1972, reached Kp 5 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 19; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm began January 15, 1989, reached Kp 6- and lasted 15 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 43; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 57 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 15, 2007, reached Kp 5 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 16; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
A G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm began January 15, 2023, reached Kp 5 and lasted 3 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 28; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
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Two people were swept into the ocean by a sneaker wave at 15/1300 PST. The 31 year old male and his 3 year old son have not been found as of 31/0800 PST. The beach on which they were walking had a steep angle to the water and the seas were reported to be rough.
A female tourist was found floating face-down in the surf at Melbourne Beach after entering the ocean to swim. She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced brain dead, and died several days later.
Dangerous marine conditions produced rip currents across the northwest through northeast coastal areas of Puerto Rico.
A woman and her two dogs appear to have been caught by a sneaker wave on Friday afternoon.
On the mornings of January 15th and 16th, dense fog developed over the central and southern Sacramento Valley and northern San Joaquin Valleys. Observation sites within in the area generally reported dense fog with visibility at or less than a quarter of a mile both mornings.
An underwater eruption of a volcano in Tonga (South Pacific archipelago) triggered a tsunami across the Pacific basin. The National Tsunami Warning center in Palmer, AK issued a Tsunami Advisory for the U.S.
Multiple days of dense fog combined with below freezing temperatures led to heavy frost and ice forming on power lines over northwest into parts of north central North Dakota.
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 2026-09-25.