Natural disasters are a fact of life, but one chilling incident in particular left an indelible mark on U.S. history. The worst avalanche ever to occur in America claimed dozens of lives and changed one small town forever.
The worst avalanche in U.S. history happened in 1910 in the little town of Wellington, Washington.
YouTube/Storm For nine days at the end of February, the mountain community was pummelled by a horrendous blizzard.
Snow was accumulating at the incredible average rate of one foot per hour. On one day, 11 feet of snow fell.
YouTube/Storm In the wee hours of March 1, a thunderstorm broke out. A lightning bolt struck a huge slab of snow on Windy Mountain.
The strike dislodged a 10-foot-high chunk of snow that was half a mile long and a quarter mile wide.
YouTube/Storm This mini-glacier started sliding down the mountain, picking up speed and triggering a monster avalanche.
When the wave of snow hit Wellington, the devastation was unreal.
Wikimedia Commons/Ej Frazier
The avalanche slammed into two trains full of stranded passengers at the railroad depot.
YouTube/Storm
Ninety-six people were killed in the collision, including 35 passengers and 61 railroad employees.
YouTube/Storm
The disaster was so horrible that the town of Wellington actually changed its name to Tye just a few months afterwards in order to distance itself from the tragedy.
YouTube/Storm
YouTube/Storm
For nine days at the end of February, the mountain community was pummelled by a horrendous blizzard.
In the wee hours of March 1, a thunderstorm broke out. A lightning bolt struck a huge slab of snow on Windy Mountain.
This mini-glacier started sliding down the mountain, picking up speed and triggering a monster avalanche.
Wikimedia Commons/Ej Frazier
Don’t forget to check out the video below from YouTube channel “Storm” for more info on this terrible incident.
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