Every tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard, heat wave, record, earthquake, eruption, tsunami, wildfire and geomagnetic storm on record for January 18, 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 8.2 earthquake struck Ise Bay, Japan. It killed 8,000 people, destroyed 10,000 houses and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage. It caused a tsunami.
Tsunamis
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck Ise Bay, Japan. It killed 8,000 people and destroyed 10,000 houses.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Tainan, Taiwan. It killed 107 people, injured 479, destroyed 3,000 houses and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
Earthquakes
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Farindola, Italy. It killed 34 people, injured 11 and did $18 million in damage.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in Calhoun County, Georgia and tracked 3.6 miles, 500 yards wide at its widest, killing 7 and injuring 30. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Edison, GA.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in Washington County, Florida and tracked 14.5 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 7 and injuring 25. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Vernon to NE Wausau, FL.
Volcanoes
Merapi, Indonesia erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. It killed 64 people, injured 57 and destroyed 144 houses.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in Pike, Spalding, Henry counties, Georgia and tracked 19.5 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 5 and injuring 25. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Williamson to W Griffin, GA.
Winter storms and snow
On the afternoon of 18 January 2017, an avalanche occurred on Gran Sasso d'Italia massif, one of the mountains above Rigopiano, impacting and destroying the four-star Hotel Rigopiano in Farindola, Abruzzo. The disaster killed 29 people and injured 11 others, making it the deadliest avalanche in Italy since the White Friday avalanches in 1916, and the deadliest in Europe since the Galtür avalanche in 1999.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in DeKalb County, Alabama and tracked 10.6 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 4 and injuring 8. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Grove Oak/W Fyffe to Rainsville, AL.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in Lowndes County, Mississippi and tracked 4.9 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 3 and injuring 17. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Caledonia, MS.
Tornadoes
An F3 tornado touched down in Scott County, Missouri and tracked 3.9 miles, 70 yards wide at its widest, killing 3 and injuring 6. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Benton/N Blodgett, MO.
31 on January 18, oldest first.
An F3 tornado touched down in Scott County, Missouri and tracked 3.9 miles, 70 yards wide at its widest, killing 3 and injuring 6. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Benton/N Blodgett, MO.
An F3 tornado touched down in Hardin, Larue counties, Kentucky and tracked 9.9 miles, 800 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 5. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Sonora, KY.
An F2 tornado touched down in Saline, Gallatin, White counties, Illinois and tracked 65.9 miles, killing 3 and injuring 30. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Txeas City/Harrisburg/Maunie, IL/Fort Branch, IN.
An F2 tornado touched down in Green, Taylor counties, Kentucky and tracked 11.6 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 2 and injuring 5. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Summersville to Campbellsville, KY.
An F2 tornado touched down in Johnson County, Illinois, killing 1. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: SW Goreville, IL.
An F3 tornado touched down in Calhoun County, Georgia and tracked 3.6 miles, 500 yards wide at its widest, killing 7 and injuring 30. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Edison, GA.
An F3 tornado touched down in Washington County, Florida and tracked 14.5 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 7 and injuring 25. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Vernon to NE Wausau, FL.
An F3 tornado touched down in DeKalb County, Alabama and tracked 10.6 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 4 and injuring 8. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Grove Oak/W Fyffe to Rainsville, AL.
An F2 tornado touched down in Dale County, Alabama and tracked 2.2 miles, 75 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 7. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Skipperville, AL.
An F2 tornado touched down in Jackson, Houston counties, Florida and tracked 14.2 miles, 400 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 6. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: NE Campbellton, FL to Ashford, AL.
An F3 tornado touched down in Pike, Spalding, Henry counties, Georgia and tracked 19.5 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 5 and injuring 25. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: Williamson to W Griffin, GA.
An F3 tornado touched down in Lowndes County, Mississippi and tracked 4.9 miles, 100 yards wide at its widest, killing 3 and injuring 17. From Grazulis's record of significant tornadoes: S Caledonia, MS.
An F3 tornado touched down in Caldwell Parish, Richland Parish, Louisiana and tracked 38 miles, 73 yards wide at its widest, killing 1 and injuring 2.
An F1 tornado touched down in Rapides Parish, Louisiana and tracked 5 miles, 20 yards wide at its widest, killing 1.
Several barns were blown away by high winds.
High winds downed a large tree that knocked out three power lines in Greenwood.
A grain elevator was destroyed by strong wind. Damage to the elevator was estimated at $800 thousand to $1 million.
The tornado cut through the eastern edge of the city. Three businesses, including a popcorn factory and a tax service office, were heavily damaged. A welding company was destroyed. Several homes received light to moderate damage, mainly to roofs and windows.
A mobile home was lifted off its foundation and carried 30 feet before rolling over three times. Three persons in the mobile home were injured. Two homes were partially damaged. Two sheds were damaged as well.
A weak, short-lived tornado associated with a line of thunderstorms caused damage to two businesses. Most of the damage was to an auto body shop, which was destroyed. Two workers who were inside received minor cuts and bruises.
A tornado touched down destroying a farm shop and heavily damaging other farm buildings and a house with large farm equiptment scattered over the area. Several houses were damaged. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down.
A tornado touched down in Hughes. The tornado damaged a service station destroying two service bays and sending some of the debris into a nearby pickup truck. A lumber company lost its roof. Several outbuildings near the high school's football field were destroyed.
A weak (F0 on the Fujita Scale) gustnado briefly touched down in South Philadelphia in Marconi Plaza and injured 18 persons about 436 p.m. EST. The most serious injury occurred to a 19-year-old pregnant woman whose pelvis was fractured by a fallen tree limb.
A series of powerful winter storms affected Central and Southern California between the 18th and 22nd of January. As this series of storms moved across the area, they brought heavy rain, flash flooding, gusty winds, heavy snow and even severe weather to the area.
A warm front lifted north across the region ahead of an area of low pressure. A few storms developed over the region while this occurred, and one storm produced a brief tornado.
An upper level low moved into the Southern Plains during the evening of January 17th, before lifting northeast into the Central Plains during the daytime hours of the 18th.
15 on January 18, oldest first.
Rapid snowmelt and heavy rainfall combined with warm temperatures to produce a major ice jam on the Buffalo Creek in West Seneca. Over three feet of water and ice covered some sections of Clinton and Transit Roads.
Rapid snowmelt and heavy rainfall combined with warm temperatures to produce an ice jam on the Cazenovia Creek in Buffalo and West Seneca. Some evacuations occurred and several roads were closed.
0.75 inches of rain in 6 hours in downtown Sacramento was one of the lighter rainfall totals as a Pacific storm brought brief but heavy rain to the Sacramento and Northern San Joaquin Valleys and surrounding foothills.
A powerful storm tracked northeast across Ontario and Quebec provinces on the 18th. Ahead of this storm, brisk south winds caused temperatures to rise into the 40s creating snow melt.
The first in a series of significant storms brought strong winds and heavy rain to the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. This storm developed over the Pacific Ocean with a strong parent low pressure based in the Gulf of Alaska.
During the third week of January, a 180 to 210 kt jet stretched across the Pacific and into Southern California, bringing a series of powerful winter storms to the region. The first storm made its way through the region on January 18th.
With a cold air mass in place over the Pacific Northwest, two strong and very moist Pacific weather systems brought widespread heavy rains to the Willamette Valley flooding many urban and small streams.
With a cold air mass in place over the Pacific Northwest, two strong and very moist Pacific weather systems brought snow to the area with snow levels down to the valley floor.
After a wet start to the month, a series of 3 storms traversed the region between the 19th and 24th of January. The storms produced flooding rains, extreme mountain snowfall, and strong winds from the coast to the deserts.
A slow moving upper level storm system combined with a stalled frontal boundary and high moisture levels to produce early morning showers and thunderstorms that trained for several hours and produced 4 to 6 inch rainfall totals along and near the U.S.
A nearly stationary cold low pressure system from the Pacific Northwest moved into central California and tropical moisture being fed from the Pacific with a continued atmospheric river set-up, brought thunderstorms and heavy rainfall to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Foothills…
A moderately strong atmospheric river brought heavy rain to the area Friday, January 19. Heavy rain fell during the afternoon through Friday night.
A relatively deep, progressive mid-level trough crossed southern Ontario and the Lower Great Lakes Saturday night and early Sunday, January 18-19.
29 on January 18, oldest first.
A tree fell on a man in Indianapolis during a brief peak gust which occurred within a longer duration high wind event.
High wind over the northern third of Alabama generally along a cold front caused widespread scattered damage. Damage was primarily to downed trees, limbs, and power lines but some roof damage occurred in several locations.
Three mobile homes were blown over and a roof was blown off. Two female occupants of one of the mobile homes were injured. Elsewhere across northern parts of the county, trees were blown down, and minor damage was done to awnings and outbuildings.
Two mobile homes and a barn were heavily damaged or destroyed by severe thunderstorm winds. One person sustained minor injuries.
An extremely strong cold front, preceded by heavy rain all day, moved through the mountains, foothills, and piedmont during the night. High winds affected the mountains first and then the foothills and piedmont as the front swept through.
Thunderstorm winds gusting to around 80 mph damaged about 12 homes in St. Peters. Several garage doors and associated walls were blown out. Roof and siding damage occurred as well.
Four homes were heavily damaged and several other homes sustained minor damage. A few cars and outbuildings were also damaged. Numerous trees and power lines were downed.
Part of the roof of the Risco elementary school was blown off. School was in session, but nobody was hurt.
A home under construction was destroyed. Numerous farm and outbuildings were destroyed. Many other buildings were damaged. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down.
Damaging winds up to about 70 mph accompanied a cold front and rain showers as they moved through Mercer County around 5 p.m. EST. The worst damage occurred in the Windsor Industrial Park in Washington Township.
Damaging winds up to about 60 mph accompanied a cold front and rain showers as they moved through Burlington County around 5 p.m. EST. The worst damage occurred in a shopping plaza in Burlington City.
A vigorous cold front swept across Maryland during mid-afternoon on the 18th, accompanied by thunderstorms that produced damaging wind. The Baltimore/Washington International Airport in Anne Arundel County recorded a wind gust of 53 MPH at 3:25 PM.
An intensifying area of low pressure moving across the Great Lakes trailed a strong cold front to the south. This front moved through western Pennsylvania during the early afternoon hours of the 18th.
Strong winds to 50 mph and hail of unknown size resulted widespread crop damage. An estimated 35-40,000 acres of alfalfa, wheat and other crops were damaged or destroyed. Winds also topped a 60 foot high grain silo made of corrugated steel.
A deepening 968 mb low 300 miles south of Middleton Island late Thursday morning, with its front in an east southeast arc, moved rapidly northwest.
An intensifying low pressure system moved across the Great Lakes and into Quebec, producing strong damaging winds across Massachusetts on 18 January 2006. These strong winds were accompanied with heavy rain showers.
Strong to high southeast winds during the early morning and strong west winds during the late morning and afternoon buffeted New Jersey.
Strong to high southeast winds during the early morning and strong west winds during the late morning and afternoon buffeted Eastern Pennsylvania.
An intensifying low pressure system moved across the Great Lakes and into Quebec, producing strong damaging winds across north central and northeast Connecticut on 18 January 2006.
High winds knocked over trees which caused damage and power outages across the area. About 60,000 customers served by Central Maine Power Company lost electrical service during the event.
Strong to high southeast winds during the early morning and strong west winds during the late morning and afternoon buffeted Delaware.
An intensifying low pressure system moved across the Great Lakes and into Quebec, producing strong damaging winds across Rhode Island on 18 January 2006.
High winds were recorded in several zones, mainly on the coast and over the northwest interior, but extending south into the Everett zone and also hitting the Lake Lawrence area.
A strong and intensifying area of low pressure moved just north of the St. Lawrence River across southeast Ontario and Quebec provinces in Canada during the night of January 17th and early morning hours of January 18th.
Unseasonably warm temperatures in the 70s, combined with very dry air and strong southwest winds, created extreme wildfire conditions across Oklahoma and northern Texas on this date in 2015. Most of the wildfires that occurred were seen just east of Guthrie, near Chickasha, and just east of Sulphur. Structures were destroyed east of Guthrie, near the town of Meridian.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
Strong winds combined with saturated soils downed trees, some falling across cars, homes, and roads, caused tens of thousands of homes to lose power.
A post frontal surface trough passing through the region allowed for a brief period of higher winds aloft to mix down to the surface. This, combined with funneling through the mountains, caused multiple accidents in a localized area of Interstate 77 near Fancy Gap.
An upper low pressure center developed off the southern California coast on January 18.
Upper level ridging combined with a series of troughs led to the tightening of pressure gradients over interior northern California. The first trough slipped down and paralleled the California coast causing the north and east pressure to develop and tighten.
51 on January 18, oldest first.
On this date back in 1925, Wichita Falls reported 9.8 inches of snow, making it their snowiest calendar day ever.
From the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.
Snowstorm of January 18, 1936 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Northeast. It lasted from January 18, 1936 to January 21, 1936.
The Kennedy Inaugural Snowstorm was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Northeast. It lasted from January 18, 1961 to January 21, 1961.
The 1993 Bayburt Üzengili avalanche occurred on January 18, 1993, at around 07:45 local time in Üzengili, a village of Bayburt Province in northeastern Turkey. It killed 59 people and injured 21, destroying 72 houses.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Snowstorm of January 18, 1995 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Ohio Valley. It lasted from January 18, 1995 to January 24, 1995.
Heavy snow fell in most of Puget Sound. Snowfall varied from 4 inches in Seattle to 9 in Port Orchard. There were several accidents, with two involving injuries or fatalities. About 20,000 people lost power.
A major winter storm moved through Central Illinois January 18th and 19th. Severe thunderstorms moved through the area during the late morning and early afternoon hours. Afterward, temperatures began to drop quickly.
A snowmobiler died Sunday afternoon in an avalanche near Blewett Pass. After riding up a relatively steep slope he was trying to turn his machine around when the slope above him gave way. He and his machine fell 400 to 500 feet and were buried under 2-3 feet of snow.
Fatality was a snowmobiler
On Mount Baker, the body of a missing snowboarder was not found. He is presumed dead.
Snowstorm of January 18, 2000 was ranked category 1, Notable, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Ohio Valley. It lasted from January 18, 2000 to January 22, 2000.
The most significant ice storm in Southeast Alaska in modern times occurred during a major overrunning event. Up to an inch of ice accumulated on surfaces in the Petersburg area Tuesday into Wednesday.
Snow moved into Central North Carolina just prior to sunrise on January 18th impacting local schools and morning communters. Between one to two inches of snow fell across the area resulting in numerous accidents.
An area of low pressure moved through the Great Lakes region during the 18th. As this system neared the eastern Great Lakes, another storm system developed near the coast of the Mid Altantic during the early evening hours of the 18th.
An area of low pressure moved through the Great Lakes region during the 18th. As this system neared the eastern Great Lakes, another storm system developed near the coast of the Mid Altantic during the early evening hours of the 18th.
An area of low pressure passed to the north of Lake Erie on January 18th. A cold front extending south from the low swept east across northwestern Pennsylvania just before daybreak on the 18th.
An area of low pressure passed to the north of Lake Erie on January 18th. A cold front extending south from the low swept east across Northeast Ohio by daybreak on the 18th. Cold westerly winds behind the front caused lake effect snow bands to quickly develop.
A fast moving storm moved across northern Arizona January 18 and 19th causing traffic problems in the Flagstaff area.
Dense freezing fog occurred over most of western Kentucky as a result of high pressure over the Lower Ohio and Mid Mississippi Valleys. Light winds, high humidity, and areas of clear sky associated with this high caused dense fog to form.
A series of four Pacific storms pounded the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin between January 18th and 21st with heavy rain and snow (which led to river flooding), locally high winds, and isolated severe thunderstorms.
A single storm system brought a wide variety of severe and unusual winter weather to west and central North Dakota from Monday, January 18th, through Monday, January 25th. (See Storm Data Entry for January 24-25).
A storm system moved from southern California into the northern Rockies and northern Plains. Very stable conditions ahead of the storm system created several days of very dense fog from the 18th through the 22nd of January.
A flat-roofed cinder block commercial building roof collapsed. The building in Rexburg housed both Rocky Mountain ATVs and Custom Auto. Heavy snow collected on the roof was the cause of the collapse.
A recent storm with significant snowfall and strong winds resulted in a soft slab layer of snow on top of an older unstable snowpack.
Deep Pacific moisture, combined with embedded weather disturbances moving through the region in the middle of January, resulted in heavy and wet snowfall in the mountains and mountain valleys of northern Utah. Occasional heavy rain was observed in the northern Utah valleys.
A previous storm brought snow to the area. With a cold air mass in place over the Pacific Northwest following the snow event, a strong and very moist Pacific weather system moved through the area with precipitation falling through the cold air and accumulating ice on top of the…
Two boys were killed in an avalanche in the Uinta Mountains during a snowmobile trip with their family.
High pressure over the area allowed for valley cold pools to develop and temperature inversions to strengthen. This aided the development of freezing fog that caused roadways and other surfaces to become icy across portions of western Montana.
Two climbers, one climber involved with a cornice failure resulting in one fatality.
Freezing rain at the onset of a protracted precipitation event resulted in hundreds of accidents, two that had fatalities, across Eastern Pennsylvania during the morning into the early afternoon of the 18th. There were also numerous pedestrian slip and fall accidents.
Freezing rain at the onset of a protracted precipitation event helped cause hundreds of accidents across central and northern New Jersey on the morning into the mid afternoon of the 18th. New Jersey State Police alone responded to 428 accidents and 186 calls for assistance.
Areas of freezing rain, resulting in hazardous road conditions, occurred the morning of the 18th.
Low pressure tracked across eastern New England during the nighttime and early morning hours of January 18th-19th. The initial precipitation across Vermont was in the form of rain with air temperatures in the 30s to around 40 degrees.
Warm air overriding a stationary front along the coast, while a shallow Arctic air mass remained entrenched over land, led to light freezing rain through the morning and into the afternoon.
A cold front approached southern New England bringing rain to the region. A low level jet brought warmer air into the area just above the surface and temperatures remained below freezing at the surface.
On 18 January 2016, six French Foreign Legionnaires were killed in an avalanche in the Massif des Cerces, France.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
On the afternoon of 18 January 2017, an avalanche occurred on Gran Sasso d'Italia massif, one of the mountains above Rigopiano, impacting and destroying the four-star Hotel Rigopiano in Farindola, Abruzzo. The disaster killed 29 people and injured 11 others, making it the deadliest avalanche in Italy since the White Friday avalanches in 1916, and the deadliest in Europe since the Galtür avalanche in 1999.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A major snow storm dumped heavy snow over most of Eastern Oregon and Southwest Idaho leading to snow emergencies in many locations.
A major snow storm dumped heavy snow over most of Eastern Oregon and Southwest Idaho leading to snow emergencies in many locations.
Snowstorm of January 18, 2019 was ranked category 1, Notable, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Northeast. It lasted from January 18, 2019 to January 21, 2019.
Strong low pressure moving across the Ohio River Valley spread a swath of moderate to heavy snow across southern WI. Lake effect snow contributed to the heavy snow accumulations near Lake MI. Many vehicle slide-offs and accidents occurred especially in the Milwaukee metro area.
Heavy snow developed over northern Illinois during the evening of January 18th and continued through the late morning of January 19th. A 63 year old male died while shoveling snow in Lake County, Illinois.
An avalanche was triggered by falling ice that broke away from a large ice pillar. The snow and ice fell over a cliff, picking up more loose snow on the slope below.
An 18-year-old male was caught, carried, and killed in an avalanche in Farmington Canyon.
Snowstorm of January 18, 2023 was ranked category 2, Significant, on NOAA’s Regional Snowfall Index, strongest in the Northern Rockies and Plains. It lasted from January 18, 2023 to January 21, 2023.
A Charles City (Floyd County) driver died in a single motor vehicle accident after losing control on a rural road east of Charles City. Rural roads across portions of Floyd County remained slippery after a snow event that occurred from January 18th into the 19th.
A deep upper level trough moved into the Intermountain West, bringing widespread precipitation during the night of January 18th. A cold front passed during the night, changing rain to snow in the Boise metropolitan area which created especially icy and slippery roads.
Light wintry mix including light freezing rain and snow, combined with the re-freeze of snowmelt, led to significant travel hazards for motorists on wet roads and interstates the night of Jan 18th. A light snow then followed during the day and evening.
On the back end of a modest winter storm, lingering precipitation (with some lake enhancement likely) resulted in impacts to transportation and commerce.
A winter storm brought widespread 40 to 50 mph winds with higher gusts in combination with heavy snow. Near impossible travel and scattered power outages occurred with this storm.
10 on January 18, oldest first.
A strong arctic air mass settled in across Oklahoma early in the morning of the 18th, and remained over the state through the 20th, resulting in two deaths. Low temperatures fell into the single digits and high temperatures rose only to around 20 degrees on the 19th.
Cold temperatures in the single digits resulted in a hypothermia death of an elderly Elkhorn man.
More than 475 schools including those in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area were closed due to extreme cold and wind chill which lingered from the 18th when very cold air overspread the region. Wind chills were frequently 50 below zero or colder.
A strong cold front moved through the state ushering in the coldest air that Iowa had seen in a few weeks. Temperatures fell into the single digits above and below zero with a northwest wind of up to 30 MPH at times. Wind chill indices were in the -30 to -40 F. range.
52 year old man found dead under a bridge over North Branch of the Chicago River, Cook County. Overnight low temperature was 6F.
An unseasonably cold air mass that originated in Siberia poured across the Middle Atlantic States on the 18th.
Morning low temperatures were mainly in the single digits across northern Illinois. Winds were blustery from the west to northwest between 15 and 20 mph, which resulted in dangerously cold wind chills across the area.
Between 11 PM on January 18 to 6 AM Tuesday January 19th temperatures at the Moline (KMLI) fell from 20 degrees to 16 degrees above zero.
Cold morning temperatures near normal across Southeastern Arizona. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that cold and hypothermia was the primary factor in the cause of death for two individuals, one in Tucson and one in Sahuarita.
1 on January 18, oldest first.
Island Park Dam recorded -60°F, Idaho’s all-time minimum temperature, as the State Climate Extremes Committee lists it.
11 on January 18, oldest first.
The Midnight Fire was discovered on January 18, 1994, in Mississippi, and burned 1,083 acres; the cause was recorded as arson/incendiarism.
A fire burned 75 acres on the afternoon of the 18th near Wyandotte. The fire destroyed Jake's Flea Market on a rural part of Highway 10.
The RATLIFF2 Fire was discovered on January 18, 2006, in Carter County, Oklahoma, and burned 4,000 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Ryan Fire was discovered on January 18, 2006, in Jefferson County, Oklahoma, and burned 2,800 acres.
The Arkansasle Fire was discovered on January 18, 2006, in Oklahoma, and burned 2,360 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Stecker Fire was discovered on January 18, 2006, in Oklahoma, and burned 1,288 acres; the cause was recorded as equipment and vehicle use.
The Unnamed Fire was discovered on January 18, 2006, in Jefferson County, Texas, and burned 1,000 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Red Hill Fire was reported on January 18, 2015, in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, and burned 1,907 acres; the cause was recorded as human.
The Jackson Ridge Fire was reported on January 18, 2015, in Marion County, Arkansas, and burned 1,321 acres.
The Scullin Fire was reported on January 18, 2018, in Murray County, Oklahoma, and burned 2,100 acres.
A rare winter time offshore wind event affected the Greater Bay Area in mid to late January. It was unusual given the long duration and wide areal coverage as well as the time of year.
14 on January 18, oldest first.
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Teverya (Tiberias), Ariha (Jericho), Israel. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000) and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage. It caused a tsunami.
An earthquake struck Borgogne, Italy. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000).
A magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck Ise Bay, Japan. It killed 8,000 people, destroyed 10,000 houses and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage. It caused a tsunami.
The Tenshō earthquake occurred in Japan on January 18, 1586, at 23:00 local time. 9, and an epicenter in Honshu's Chūbu region.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
An earthquake struck Manila, Philippines. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000). It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck San Martin, Quezaltenango, Guatemala. It caused a tsunami.
An earthquake struck Off the Coast near LA Vela, Venezuela. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Tainan, Taiwan. It killed 107 people, injured 479, destroyed 3,000 houses and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
3 local magnitude, and occurred at 20:04 CST (UTC+8) on 18 January in Baihe Township of Tainan County, Taiwan. The hypocenter of the earthquake was 20 kilometers deep.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck E. Honshu Island, Japan. It caused a tsunami.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Garhi Khairo, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. It killed 3 people.
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Farindola, Italy. It killed 34 people, injured 11 and did $18 million in damage.
A series of four major earthquakes struck Central Italy between Abruzzo, Lazio, the Marche and Umbria regions on 18 January 2017.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Azarbaijan, Iran. It injured 252, destroyed 370 houses and did $50 million in damage.
2 on January 18, oldest first.
Katla, Iceland erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4. It killed some people (about 51 to 100).
Merapi, Indonesia erupted with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2. It killed 64 people, injured 57 and destroyed 144 houses.
6 on January 18, oldest first.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Syrian and Egyptian Coasts. It killed many people (about 101 to 1,000) and did severe (about $5 to $25 million) damage.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck Ise Bay, Japan. It killed 8,000 people and destroyed 10,000 houses.
A tsunami with a source recorded as meteorological struck N. California, United States.
A tsunami with a source recorded as questionable earthquake struck Ocosa, Guatemala.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Off the Coast near LA Vela, Venezuela.
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck E. Honshu Island, Japan, with a maximum water height of 0.37 meters.
1 on January 18, oldest first.
A G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm began January 18, 1940, reached Kp 7- and lasted 6 hours, with a daily Ap as high as 38; at that Kp the aurora may be seen from about 52 degrees geomagnetic latitude.
7 on January 18, oldest first.
Dense freezing fog created very low visibilities to 1/16 of a mile along with icy roads which contributed to a multi-vehicle wreck 11 miles south of Watertown. The accident killed three people and injured two others.
A large long period northwest swell impacted the coastline Monday January 18th with breaking waves expected at around 20 feet. Three people were swept into the ocean at Cowell Ranch State Beach in Half Moon Bay on Monday, two boys and their father.
A long period northwesterly swell and choppy wind-driven seas produced large breaking waves and rough surf conditions along the northern coast of Puerto Rico during mid-January.
High pressure moved into central California on January 17 which resulted in clearing skies and light winds over the area by the evening.
An approaching low pressure system on January 18th tightened the pressure gradient over the Gulf of Maine. This caused near gale force winds over the Gulf of Maine, with seas building to near 8 feet.
An impressive long lasting period of foggy conditions prevailed across the San Joaquin Valley from January 12th through January 31st (It continued through February 7th). Dense fog coverage increased for the next several days each morning starting on the 11th.
Fresh to locally strong east to northeast winds and a long-period northwesterly swell, resulted in a high risk of rip currents along northern beaches of Puerto Rico, and Culebra. Two 21 year old males were swept away by currents in Caracoles Beach, Arecibo.
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.