Illinois Felt The Shockwave From Tonga Volcano Eruption
In 1883, a volcano on the island of Krakatoa, which sits between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia, exploded. That explosion was heard by people in over 50 different geographical locations, spanning an area covering a thirteenth of the planet.
Saturday's explosion and eruption of the volcano on Hunga Tonga may rival what Krakatoa did 139 years ago.
People In Australia, Canada, And Alaska Heard The Sonic Boom From Hunga Tonga
In case geography isn't your thing, those places are nowhere near where the volcano went off.
EarthSky.org reports that approximately 200,000 lightning events took place near Tonga in the first hour of the eruption, and that barometers around the world recorded the pressure wave from the South Pacific explosion.
Alaska, Canada, Australia, And New Zealand May Have Heard It, But We Felt It Here In Illinois
In the Chicago area, the eruption caused pressure fluctuations that were recorded at multiple weather stations, including at O'Hare, says the National Weather Service.