In the world of user generated content, some of the most unforgettable images that we come across are those related to extreme weather events. And while the COVID-19 pandemic certainly held the world’s attention for most of 2020, it was weather videos filmed by eyewitnesses that helped newsrooms add perspective and context to some of the most dramatic and striking news events of the year.
Here are the weather videos that stopped us in our tracks in 2020.
Australian Bushfires
2 January: Young Woman Fights Blaze to Protect Her Victoria Home From Raging Bushfire
4 January: Flames and Scorched Earth Flank Kangaroo Island Highway
Landslides, Avalanches, and Earthquakes
28 January: Bottles Come Crashing Down in Cayman Islands Store as 7.7 Earthquake Hits Caribbean
18 February: Good Samaritans Rush to Dig Out Snowboarders Buried in Avalanche
4 June: Landslide on Arctic Coast Washes Buildings Into Sea
Record Rain and Severe Storms
10 January: Dashcam Captures Moment of Crash on Slick Oklahoma Highway
20 January: Workers Take Cover Under Umbrella as Hailstorm Smashes Canberra
10 February: Boat Nearly Capsizes During Rescue Mission as Storm Ciara Batters England
24 April: That’s Not Gonna Make It’: Sports Car Stalls in Charleston Floodwaters After Record Rain
20 May: Edenville Dam Bursts Its Banks, Forcing Thousands From Their Homes in Michigan
22 July: Lightning Strikes Near Statue of Liberty During Severe New York City Storms
10 August: Roof Blows Off Chicago Building in Powerful Wind Storm
Hurricanes and Tornadoes
29 March: Dramatic Footage Shows Tornado Ripping Through Jonesboro, Arkansas
25 July: ‘This is Gonna be Bad’: Fence Torn Apart as Hurricane Hanna Makes Landfall in Texas
29 October: Powerful Hurricane Zeta Winds Send Trampoline Soaring in Belle Chasse, Louisiana
30 October: Louisiana Shed Takes Flight as Hurricane Zeta Hits
Wildfires in Western US
21 August: Driver Captures Apocalyptic Scenes on Dashcam During Drive Through Hennessey Fire
9 September: Oakland Disappears in Orange Haze as Wildfire Smoke Envelops Bay Area
9 September: Motorist Witnesses Explosion While Driving Through Oregon Wildfire