The weather is notoriously unpredictable. A well-dressed weatherman smiles brightly through your television on Monday morning, promising you a sunny day, only to be caught in a hailstorm and late for work in a dented car.
The weather can also be extremely dangerous. Tornadoes, hurricanes and blizzards, to name just a few, wreak havoc around the world every year, leaving death and destruction in their wake.
Below is a list of some of the most terrifying weather events on Earth that have been captured on camera or painted for posterity and served as a constant warning to seek shelter early.
In what would eventually be one of the deadliest natural disasters of the 20th century, China experienced great loss of life in 1931 during a number of floods that hit the Republic. The months between July and November of that year saw strange weather patterns making itself visible as heavy snow and then rainfall soaked the area after years of drought.
As the unusually heavy rainfall continued into August, several cyclones also hit the country and this led to the Yangtze River, Yellow River and Huai River bursting their banks. Those who survived the flooding were soon exposed to typhus and cholera and out of sheer desperation, many turned to cannibalism and infanticide to stay alive. Some people took to selling their children or wives to ensure their survival. However, millions who survived the flooding, soon died from starvation as entire rice crops were wiped out. The overall death toll is estimated to be around 4 million.
It is thought that if flood-control measures were followed, much of the disaster could have been averted.
