You don’t want to mess with nature. It has the power to bring devastation beyond our control, and nothing can stop these forces. They can occur at anytime or anyplace. Forces of nature are sometimes a phenomena beyond our comprehension. Here are a few of these awesome forces.

Tornadoes

Found mostly in the United States (although they have occurred in other continents, with the exception of Antarctica), tornadoes have the capability to lay ravage to whatever comes in their path. Defined by a violent column of air extending from the sky to the ground, tornadoes can reach an excess of 250 miles an hour. The unmistakable funnel that is shaped by these destructive forces means trouble is coming. Many who have witnessed tornadoes say there is a roaring sound of a train. Annually, they kill about 80 people, and cause massive destruction to property. Damage paths can be as wide as a mile, and be as long as 50 miles.

Lightning

During monsoon season here in Arizona, nothing is more spectacular to watch than the mesmerizing beauty of lightning. But despite its beauty, it is capable of reaching temperatures 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. Each bolt of lightening can contain up to 1 billion blots of electricity, and is capable of striking the same place more than once. About 2,000 people are killed a year by this dangerous phenomena. Many survive, but end up with altering disabilities. It is said that if the hairs on tour body begin to stand up, you should take cover because lightning is about to strike.

Tsunamis

Tsunamis kill thousands. Who can forget the disaster of 2004, when more than 150,000 people were killed, listing it as one the biggest natural disasters in history. This force is caused by a series of surging waves that crash ashore, sometimes with waves reaching more than 100 feet in height. Undersea earthquakes are usually the culprits behind tsunamis. Although, they can be caused by underwater landslides and volcanic eruptions. The waves can reach an excess of 500 miles per hour before reaching a shoreline.

Avalanches

They kill more than 150 people a year. Massive slabs of snow will break away from a mountainside causing a chain reaction of debris sliding down at excess speeds of 80 miles an hour. When snow occurs, piling up on top of weaker, underlying snow, avalanches will usually happen within 24 hours. Anyone caught in an avalanche seldom escapes alive.

Volcanoes

In the past 300 years, it is estimated that more than 260,000 people have died from volcanic eruptions and their aftermath. Magma that builds up underneath the volcanoes surface release themselves in explosive eruptions that can be catastrophic. Some volcanic eruptions have decimated cities (like Pompeii). Lava flows can reach an excessive heat of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and anything within its reach can be burned. The ash and toxic gases released can even cause asphyxiation. While many volcanoes worldwide are considered dormant, there are at least more than 1,800 that are active, with the possibility of exploding in the near future.

Hurricanes

From space, this awesome spectacle is a sight to hold. But the extent of their damage is mind-boggling. With excess speeds of 160 miles per hour, more than 2.4 trillion gallons of water can be released in a day. They gain momentum out at sea while gathering heat and energy through contact with the warm water. Evaporation increases their power, and they begin to form a counter-clockwise spiral that centers on an eye. Once they reach land, nothing is safe from their sheer power of devastation.

Droughts

Nothing has more of an impact on an ecosystem than perhaps a drought. While they can last for several years, even a drought that lasts for only a few months can wreak considerable havoc on people. If a drought recurs for an extended period of time, it can bring about desertification (degradation of land). Hundreds of thousands of people die annually due to famine, which is one of the main causes of droughts.

Earthquakes

Caused by a massive shift in the earth’s ground, earthquakes are caused when faults begin to shift. Stress builds up on the earth’s outer layer, which is then released when the faults push together. Energy is released in waves traveling through the earth, which is then felt through tremors. The destruction that is the end result of earthquakes have reportedly claimed more than 8 million lives in the last thousand years, which is not surprising considering about 50 occur every day. Although many go undetected because of a small magnitude, there are those (like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake pictured above), that leave behind a lasting impression.