Tonga mega-eruption. 5 deaths (3 Tonga, 2 Peru). Oil spill in Peru. Heard in Alaska

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I doubt this is going to be that 'year without a summer', though.

Tambora was a VEI-7 (the last such eruption to date) whereas this appears to have been a VEI-5 and the categories go up logarithmically, so clearly not comparable in that sense. But a VEI-5 is still huge (this would be only the second this century) and there will be some effect.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I doubt this is going to be that 'year without a summer', though.

Tambora was a VEI-7 (the last such eruption to date) whereas this appears to have been a VEI-5 and the categories go up logarithmically, so clearly not comparable in that sense. But a VEI-5 is still huge (this would be only the second this century) and there will be some effect.

It may be a large eruption, but it is still smaller than even Mt. Pinatubo's 1991 eruption which was a VEI-6.   

Which lowered global temperatures by about 0.5°C for two years.