Mount Pinatubo

Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Philippines that erupted violently in June 1991 after more than four hundred years of slumber. The eruption released particulate and sulfate aerosol matter into the atmosphere that blocked a significant portion of incoming solar radiation, hiding the global warming effect that had been taking place throughout the 1980s and 1990s. ¹

Following the eruption the average temperature in the planet's temperature cooled from 0.4 to 0.5°C.

Source: USGS. Author: D. Harlow. Permission: Public domain.

Following the eruption the average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere decreased from 0.5 to 0.6°C and the planet's temperature cooled from 0.4 to 0.5°C, and it is believed that the eruption also drove weather events such as major droughts and floods across the globe. ² The eruption left 847 people dead, 184 injured and 23 missing as well as over 1 millon displaced, and resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in property and infrastructure loss. ³