10 Strange and Scary Predictions for 2022

Remember when we thought flipping the calendar to 2022 might magically fix the chaos of the early 2020s?
Yeah, the fortune-tellers, psychics, and armchair astrologers had other ideas. From royal scandals
read in tossed asparagus to doomsday visions of alien invasions and apocalyptic plagues,
2022 was billed as a year that could go spectacularly wrong.

In this deep dive, we revisit 10 of the strangest and scariest predictions that were made about 2022,
unpack where they came from, and take a look at what actually happened. Think of it as a fact-checking
tour through the wild world of prophecy, superstition, and pop-culture doomscrolling.

Why 2022 Became a Magnet for Doom

Before we count down the predictions, it helps to understand why 2022 drew so much prophetic attention.
The world was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation was rising, climate disasters were
in the headlines, and geopolitical tensions were high. In other words, if you wanted a year that
already felt ominous, 2022 was a perfect canvas.

Enter the usual suspects: Nostradamus devotees, Baba Vanga fans, psychics featured on TV and local news,
astrologers writing op-eds, and good old-fashioned almanacs. Mix in social media algorithms that love
anything scary and shareable, and suddenly you have a global audience ready to believe that
2022 might be the prologue to the apocalypse.

10. Royal Calamity and the Asparagus Oracle

The “Mystic Veg” and the House of Windsor

One of the most talked-about predictions for 2022 came from a British fortune-teller famous for
reading asparagus. Yes, you read that correctly. By tossing spears of asparagus into the air
and interpreting how they land, this “Mystic Veg” claimed to foresee more misery and scandal
for the British royal family.

The prediction was intentionally vague: more royal scandal, more public embarrassment, and a generally
rough year for the monarchy. It fit neatly on top of existing headlines involving Prince Andrew,
Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal life, and the pressure already on Queen Elizabeth II.

What Actually Happened

While the asparagus didn’t name names, 2022 did turn out to be a historic and painful year for the royals.
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch, died in September 2022, leading to a global
outpouring of grief and the accession of King Charles III. Public debate around Prince Andrew and
the future of the monarchy continued, so in broad strokes the “calamity” theme wasn’t completely off.

Of course, general predictions that powerful families will face drama are almost guaranteed to score
at least a partial hit. That’s the first pattern you’ll see over and over: keep it vague, and something
will probably line up with reality sooner or later.

9. Nostradamus and a Dire Year for the World

Reading Disaster Between the Lines

Nostradamus, the 16th-century French seer, remains the undefeated heavyweight champion of gloomy forecasts.
His cryptic four-line verses, or quatrains, are vague enough to be retrofitted to almost any event,
which hasn’t stopped people from mapping them onto specific years2022 included.

Interpreters pointed to a quatrain about the “sudden death of the first character” that would bring
a shift in a kingdom and to other verses hinting at war in Europe, economic hardship, and “great scarcity.”
Some speculated that the prophecy pointed at the death of a major leader, a reshuffling of power,
and wider instability.

War, Inflation, and Grim Vibes

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, many Nostradamus fans declared the prediction fulfilled.
Europe faced war, energy and food prices spiked, and global inflation surged. Some also linked the
death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III to that “sudden death” line.

However, as historians and scholars regularly note, Nostradamus’s writings are so open-ended that
they can be applied to many different events. The 2022 interpretations say at least as much about
our anxieties as they do about his original text. Still, the mood of 2022war, economic pressure,
and social tensiondefinitely felt “dire” enough to keep his reputation alive.

8. Life in 2022, as Imagined 100 Years Earlier

Retro Futurism Gets Weird

Not all predictions about 2022 came from psychics. Some came from writers and futurists in the early
20th century who tried to imagine what life would look like a century later. An English author,
W.L. George, writing in the 1920s, described a world where commercial air travel was normal,
coal wasn’t yet exhausted, and women had more political power but were still fighting for full equality.

Other futurists predicted sprawling suburbs extending far from city centers and cars becoming
affordable to most householdsideas that landed surprisingly close to reality. Then there were
the more eccentric forecasts: trains gliding along glass plates, anti-gravity screens catching
falling planes, and miracle injections that would permanently stop facial and leg hair growth
without affecting the hair on your head.

What They Got Right (and Hilariously Wrong)

By 2022, they were spot-on about many trends: air travel is routine, suburbs have indeed spread,
and women now hold a growing number of seats in legislatures worldwide. On the other hand,
we’re still lacking anti-gravity crash-savers and that mythical permanent hair-removal shot
(laser clinics everywhere just sighed collectively).

These old predictions are less scary than charmingly strange, but they capture a recurring theme:
we tend to be more accurate about gradual social and technological trends and wildly off base when
we try to guess the flashy details.

7. Peruvian Shamans, Pachamama, and a Problematic Prophecy

Rituals for a Milder Pandemic

On a beach near Lima, Peru, a group of shamans and healers welcomed 2022 with traditional rituals,
colorful offerings, and a bundle of predictions. They called on Pachamama (Mother Earth) for relief,
suggesting that the coronavirus would become milder before fading away, and that the world might
finally move into a less intense phase of the pandemic.

They also warned that economic hardships would continue and that geopolitical tensionsparticularly
between Russia and Ukrainewould increase, though they predicted that a full-scale invasion
would not succeed in taking Ukrainian territory.

Reality Check

By the end of 2022, COVID-19 had indeed become less deadly in many places thanks to vaccination and
prior immunity, even as new variants kept emerging. Economically, inflation and supply-chain issues
weighed heavily on many countries, which tracked with the shamans’ warnings about hardship.

But the prediction that Russia would not invade any territory turned out to be painfully wrong.
The invasion of Ukraine became one of the defining events of the year, reinforcing the idea that
even culturally rooted, spiritually meaningful rituals don’t necessarily make good geopolitical forecasts.

6. Voices in a Psychic’s Head: New Viruses and Rogue Asteroids

A New Virus and an Asteroid Near Miss

A self-described past-life regressionist and psychic claimed to receive predictions from a disembodied voice.
For 2022, that voice allegedly warned of a new virus, separate from COVID-19, that would emerge and
spread fear. It also described an asteroid heading toward Earth, only to be knocked off course
by military intervention.

The same psychic tossed in a grab-bag of other disturbing images: intensified recruitment by destructive cults,
a major public figure being assassinated in the United States, and a mysterious female political figure
named “Jackie” rising rapidly to global fame.

Science vs. the Stars

In the real 2022, we didn’t see a separate, brand-new pandemic. What we did see was the continued evolution
of COVID-19 into new variants, along with ongoing outbreaks of other known diseases. The asteroid prediction,
however, had an intriguing echo: NASA’s DART mission deliberately slammed a spacecraft into an asteroid
to test whether its path could be alteredexactly the sort of real-world technology you might expect
to inspire such visions.

The more specific political predictions, though, never materialized in the dramatic way they were framed.
This is another classic pattern: when details get too concretenames, dates, specific incidentsthe
hit rate tends to drop sharply.

5. The Old Moore’s Almanac and Irish Tsunamis

Two and a Half Centuries of Forecasting

The Old Moore’s Almanac, published for more than 250 years, blends weather outlooks, astrology, and
psychic impressions. Its 2022 edition looked especially dramatic for Ireland. It warned of extreme weather,
including an earthquake, landslides, and even a tsunami affecting the island. The last major tsunami to
impact Ireland followed the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, so the idea stirred understandable unease.

The almanac also floated the prediction that a woman would soon be on track to become Ireland’s first
female Taoiseach (prime minister), with the search for a suitable candidate beginning around 2022.

Storms, Yes. Tsunamis, No.

Ireland did see its share of strong storms and rough weather in 2022, continuing a broader pattern
of climate-linked extremes across Europe. But there was no Irish tsunami and no landmark earthquake
comparable to the historical Lisbon event.

As for the political prediction, conversations about female leadership in Ireland certainly continued,
but the country did not suddenly shift to a woman at the helm. Like many almanac forecasts, the wording
was open enough to be stretched, but the big, headline-worthy events never quite landed.

4. Jupiter in Pisces and the Promise of Cosmic Relief

Astrology’s Big 2022 Hope

Western astrologers pinned a lot of hope on Jupiter moving into Pisces at the end of 2021 and
lingering there into 2022. Jupiter is often associated with abundance, growth, and healing,
while Pisces is linked with compassion, spirituality, and imagination. Together, they were said to signal
a more hopeful, healing energy after the heavy grind of the pandemic years.

Some astrologers predicted a global rise in empathy and creativity, a softening of harsh political divisions,
and increased interest in spirituality and alternative belief systems. Others added a twist, suggesting that
the same energy might fuel the growth of cults or fringe movements.

Did the Sky Deliver?

By the end of 2022, there was no obvious, single global “healing moment,” but there were many small shifts.
People traveled more, reconnected with family, and slowly stepped away from emergency pandemic mindsets.
At the same time, conspiracy theories, fringe communities, and online cult-like groups remained very visible,
lending a bit of credibility to the darker side of those astrological predictions.

Whether you credit Jupiter for any of that is a personal choice. But the narrative of a universe sending
us a cosmic breather clearly resonated with a world exhausted by crisis.

3. Random Grab-Bag Predictions: Politics, Markets, and Eurovision

Psychics vs. Pop Culture

Various media outlets surveyed psychics at the end of 2021 and asked them what was coming in 2022.
The answers ranged from the serious to the oddly specific. Some predicted that a famous actor facing
public scrutiny would retire from Hollywood entirely. Others forecast exploding U.S. political turmoil,
chaotic French politics, and stomach-churning volatility in global stock markets.

There were even predictions about Eurovision, with some psychics naming likely winning countries
often smaller European nations that make for good underdog stories.

Who Got What Right?

Political tension did, in fact, stay high in 2022. The United States held midterm elections,
debates over democracy and disinformation were intense, and protests and strikes cropped up in
several European countries. Global stock markets also had a rough ride, with many indexes
sliding into bear-market territory before seeing partial rebounds.

But when it came to very specific callslike exactly who would retire, or which country would
take home a Eurovision winmany predictions fell flat. That’s the risk of going on the record
with concrete, testable claims: they either look impressively bold or hilariously wrong in hindsight.

2. The Star That Was Supposed to Explode

Nova KIC 9832227 and the Red-Nova Hype

One of the more science-flavored “predictions” for 2022 involved a star system designated KIC 9832227
in the constellation Cygnus. Early calculations suggested that this binary system might merge and
produce a spectacular “red nova” visible to the naked eye around 2022, lighting up the night sky
in dramatic fashion.

Religious and mystical interpretations quickly hitched a ride on that forecast. Some commentators claimed
such an event would herald the arrival of a messianic figure or mark the start of the end times.
The basic astronomical ideaa visible stellar mergerwas grounded in real science,
but the exact timing was always uncertain.

What We Actually Saw in the Sky

As more precise measurements were taken, astronomers revised their earlier estimates and concluded
that the predicted merger would not occur on that timetable after all. In other words,
the 2022 light show never arrived.

That said, 2022 still gave us other cosmic milestones, like the early images from the James Webb Space
Telescope and further progress in planetary defense missions. The universe kept things exciting,
just not in the dramatic, prophecy-fulfilling way some had hopedor feared.

1. Baba Vanga’s 2022: Plagues, Aliens, and Dry Taps

The “Nostradamus of the Balkans”

Baba Vanga, a blind Bulgarian mystic who died in the 1990s, is credited by her followers with an
impressive list of accurate forecasts, from major disasters to political shifts. For 2022,
various compilations of her alleged prophecies painted a bleak picture: a new pathogen released
from melting Siberian ice, devastating crop failures caused by locust swarms, severe water shortages,
and even human contact with hostile extraterrestrials.

The image is cinematic: ancient viruses thawing out, crops eaten to nothing, taps running dry,
and aliens arriving via asteroids to attack Earth and take humans hostage. If you were trying
to storyboard a sci-fi horror film called “2022,” you could do worse than this list.

From Climate Reality to Space Fantasy

While no brand-new frozen super-virus exploded into a global pandemic in 2022, scientists have
indeed found ancient microbes in glaciers and permafrost, and climate researchers warn that
thawing ice can release long-dormant organisms. The basic concernthat climate change can resurrect
old biological threatsis a real one, even if the timeline and specifics are often exaggerated.

As for locusts and famine, parts of the world did continue to struggle with food insecurity linked to
conflict, droughts, and economic shocks. Several regions also faced serious water shortages and heatwaves,
making the water-scarcity prediction feel uncomfortably close to home. Alien invasions, however,
remained firmly in the realm of science fiction.

What These 2022 Predictions Really Tell Us

Looking back, the strangest and scariest predictions for 2022 say less about some fixed future
and more about us. We crave certainty, especially in uncertain times. We look for patterns in chaos,
latch onto dramatic narratives, and share the creepiest stories because they make great conversation
(and even better clicks).

Psychics and mystics often rely on broad themeswar, natural disaster, political scandal, economic trouble
because those things happen regularly. When they hit, we remember; when they miss, we quietly forget.
Meanwhile, scientists make cautious, data-driven forecasts that rarely go viral because “moderately likely”
and “depends on several factors” don’t sound nearly as exciting as “aliens will arrive in an asteroid.”

The lesson isn’t that every prediction is nonsense. It’s that we need to approach them with curiosity
rather than fear. Ask: Is this specific? Is it testable? Is it based on evidence, or mostly vibes?
Once you start looking at prophecies through that lens, even the scariest ones become easier to handle.

Living Through the “Cursed” Year: A 2022 Experience

Imagine waking up on January 1, 2022, scrolling through your phone, and seeing headline after headline
about all these dire predictions. Royal scandals! War in Europe! Alien invasions! New plagues!
If you were already anxious from the previous two years, it felt like the universe was piling on.

For many people, this steady drip of doom-colored content became part of the everyday background noise.
You might hear a coworker say, “Well, Nostradamus says this year’s going to be awful,” half joking,
half serious. A relative might forward you a message about Baba Vanga’s newest warning. On social media,
short videos would breathlessly summarize “5 shocking predictions for 2022” while ominous music
played in the background.

Yet at the same time, real life was more complicated and less cinematic. Kids still had to be
dropped off at school, bills needed paying, and people were trying to repair friendships, careers,
and routines disrupted by the pandemic. For most, 2022 was less about dramatic singular events
and more about a long, uneven climb back toward some version of normal.

The predictions did, however, shape how some people interpreted events as they unfolded.
When news broke about the war in Ukraine, those who had absorbed months of Nostradamus content
felt a chill of recognition. When heatwaves and droughts hit, Baba Vanga’s warnings about water
shortages resurfaced in comment sections. Every coincidence felt like confirmation.

Over time, though, a subtle fatigue set in. Constant exposure to worst-case scenarios can be
emotionally draining. Some people began muting certain keywords, avoiding apocalyptic videos,
or turning off notifications. Others leaned into humor, using memes and jokes to undercut the
drama of self-proclaimed prophets. Laughing at an asparagus reading or a wildly specific psychic claim
became a way to reclaim power from the fear.

There were also quieter, more thoughtful responses. A lot of people realized that if the world
really does feel fragile, the best antidote isn’t obsessing over predictions but focusing on
what we can actually control: voting, supporting credible science, checking on neighbors,
and taking care of our mental health. The scary 2022 prophecies unintentionally pushed people
to ask big questions: What kind of future do we want? How do we make it more likely?

In that sense, living through a year that was supposed to be cursed turned into an oddly empowering experience.
The more prophecies failed to manifest exactly as advertised, the more obvious it became that the future isn’t
fully written in anyone’s quatrain, almanac, or vision. It’s messy, human, and shaped by millions of small,
everyday choicesnot just a handful of dramatic, headline-grabbing events.

So if you ever stumble across another list of terrifying predictions for some upcoming year,
you can remember 2022. Some things will go wrong, some things will surprise you in a good way,
and many predictions will quietly fizzle. The scariest forecasts make great storiesbut the story
we’re actually living is always much more complicated, and much more in our hands, than any list
of strange and scary prophecies suggests.