Storms and Other Phenomena

Explore the basics of thunder, lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes, downbursts, snow, and other storms, as well as safety tips and how to best prepare for dangerous weather.

  • High dynamic range photo of sundogs and a solar halo around the Sun.
    Sundogs: Rainbows Beside the Sun
  • US Cities Hit Most Often By Tropical Storms and Hurricanes
  • Infrared image of Hurricane Patricia
    The 10 Most Powerful Hurricanes, Cyclones, and Typhoons in History
  • Stormy night over Byron Bay
    What Happens During a Lightning Storm?
  • A glass tea pot filled with tea
    The Chemistry of Weather: Condensation and Evaporation
  • Hurricane Katrina satellite image.
    What It's Like to Experience a Hurricane
  • Tornado Hail Storm Damage home car insurance can cover
    What Does a Tornado Sound Like?
  • hikers standing in thunderstorm
    Lightning Warning Signs You Shouldn't Ignore
  • Small rainbow in her hand
    Sun and Rain: A Recipe For Rainbows
  • hurricane off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
    The 7 Global Hurricane Basins
  • Central Park covered in snow during a winter storm in January 2016.
    Why Does the Weather Channel Name Winter Storms?
  • Hurricane Katrina's Devastation Apparent
    Back-to-School After Hurricane Katrina
  • Flags in the wind
    What Is Wind Shear?
  • Anvil cloud
    How Do Thunderstorms Form?
  • Monsoon in Calcutta
    Monsoons and Their Effect on the Environment
  • Dandelion (Taraxacum) in the wind
    Understanding Winds
  • The Halloween Storm of the Century in 1991
  • Hurricane storm surge hitting homes on a beach.
    The Weather Hazards Associated With Hurricanes
  • hurricane maps
    Where Does the Word 'Hurricane' Come From?
  • Golf ball-sized hailstones.
    Hail: Summer's Ice Storms
  • Sky quakes are loud booms heard in a clear sky that have no identifiable source.
    Are Skyquakes Real?
  • The Jet Stream: What It Is and How It Affects Our Weather
  • raindrops on bench
    What Is a "Trace" of Precipitation?
  • Splashing Water Drops On Road
    Rain, Snow, Sleet, and Other Types of Precipitation
  • JOY written in the snow in yellow
    The Causes and Dangers of Yellow Snow
  • Young woman shielding face from wind, eyes closed, close-up.
    What Is the Fastest Wind Speed Ever Recorded?
  • Two people under an umbrella during a rainstorm.
    How Forceful Is Torrential Rain?
  • Lost at sea
    What Is La Nina?
  • Tropical cyclone tracks of the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
    How to Use A Hurricane Tracking Chart
  • Trees In River After Flood
    The Types of Flood Events and Their Causes
  • Low Angle View of Smoke Amidst Trees
    What Is Fire Weather?
  • Detroit Lions vs. Philadelphia Eagles playing in the snow.
    3 Times Weather Nearly Delayed or Canceled the Super Bowl
  • Virga Image
    What Is a Dry Thunderstorm?
  • Hurricane Elena in the Gulf of Mexico
    Are Super-Storms Meteorologically Possible?
  • noctilucent clouds
    Understanding the Glow of Noctilucent Clouds
  • Flower of frost
    How Frosts, Freezes, and Hard Freezes Differ
  • woman gesturing for help outside a blue car on a snowy road
    How to Survive a Blizzard
  • Serene woman
    Atmospheric Aromatherapy: The Smell of Rain
  • Man under orange umbrella
    8 Halloween Costumes to Keep You Bone-Dry
  • Young sisters look at snowfall outside
    Chance of Snow: Winter Storm Types and Snowfall Intensity
  • Snow Plows In Manhattan
    The 1993 Storm of the Century
  • Hurricane Map
    9 Best Hurricane Tracking Charts
  • Virginia Tornado 4/29/08
    Tornadoes - How Tornadoes Form
  • winter-Utica New York State
    What Is Lake Effect Snow?
  • Hawaiian curl
    Tropical Waves: Hurricane Seedlings From Africa
  • Dust Cloud
    The 1930's Dust Bowl Drought
  • freezing rain icicles
    Freezing Rain: Is It Rain or Ice?
  • City thunderstorm
    What Is a Thunderstorm?
  • Cloud in a bottle
    How to Make a Cloud in a Bottle
  • Is Your Finger a Weathervane?
    How Your Finger Doubles as a Weathervane
  • The Fujiwhara Effect Is Seen in the Interaction of Hurricane Ione and Hurricane Kirsten in 1974
    The Fujiwhara Effect
  • A high altitude scientific balloon.
    10 Weird Atmospheric Phenomena That'll Spook You
  • The Anatomy of a Hurricane
  • riptide warning beach
    Weather's Role in Rip Current and Riptide Formation
  • Rough seas breaking over the lighthouse on Roker Pier
    What is Storm Surge?
  • A beautiful beach with a cloudy storm
    What (and When) is Hurricane Season?
  • El Nino, illustration
    What Is El Nino?
  • SSAna-582015
    The Top 10 Earliest 'First' Atlantic Cyclones
  • Refugees in boat during cleanup during hurricane Katrina's Aftermath.
    The Environmental Impacts of Hurricane Katrina
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