Will it rain?
Take a look at the strangest weather phenomena in the US
Image: NOAA
We are accustomed to being surprised by weather events—unexpected rains, colder days than anticipated, or sudden heat waves. But these everyday surprises have nothing to do with the kind of extreme weather phenomena listed here. From devastating fire tornadoes to benign incidents where distant objects appear closer due to atmospheric conditions, weather is one of the biggest forces of nature and it has made sure to let humankind know it more than once.
1
Fire tornado, California
Image: Zoltan Tasi
A tornado is bad enough, but imagine a fire tornado—you’re entering a whole new level of catastrophe. This is exactly what occurred in 2018 near Redding, California, during the infamous Carr Fire event.
Intense wildfires almost always produce fire devils, fire whirls, and occasionally stronger vortexes resembling the tornadoes associated with severe thunderstorms. Fire tornadoes typically range from 100 to 1,000 feet in diameter , with rotational velocities of up to 90 mph. However, the Redding fire tornado was fueled by winds reaching an astonishing 143 mph .
2
Freak March heat wave, Midwest region
Image: Nadiia Ploshchenko 🇺🇦
High temperatures can be expected in the Midwest region but never for such an extended period during the winter season as occurred from March 14 to March 22, 2012 . Over these eight days, some areas experienced average daily temperatures that were 40°F above normal. Remarkably, even the daily low temperatures in certain locations exceeded the record highs for those dates.
On March 21, the temperature reached 90°F in Lapeer, Michigan—a stark contrast to the subzero temperatures that have often occurred in these same locations at this time of year, when snowpack is typically at its deepest.
3
Two F5 tornadoes at the same place on the same day
Image: Greg Johnson
F5 tornadoes are exceedingly rare. Only a handful of tornadoes of this intensity have been documented outside of the United States. Since 1900, just 104 of these monsters have been recorded anywhere on Earth.
This rarity makes the event on April 3, 1974 , near the town of Tanner, Alabama , even more astounding. Located about 20 miles west of Huntsville, Tanner was struck by two F5 tornadoes within just 30 minutes of each other.
4
The Dust Bowl
Image: Samantha Sheppard
The Dust Bowl, one of the most devastating weather events in American history, has a shared responsibility between nature and human interaction . In the 1930s, poor land management practices and unsustainable farming methods led to prolonged drought and massive dust storms in the Great Plains.
This ecological disaster forced thousands of families to abandon their homes, triggering a mass migration to find better opportunities elsewhere. As the Great Depression intensified, drought and decades of overfarming dried out the topsoil, leading to a series of dust storms from 1933 to 1939 that carried the soil eastward.
5
The Galveston Hurricane
Image: NASA
In 1900 a category 4 hurricane struck the city of Galveston, Texas , with devastating force, claiming an estimated 8,000 lives and causing widespread destruction. This tragedy prompted the construction of a seawall and the implementation of hurricane preparedness measures that continue to shape coastal planning and response strategies that are still in place today.
6
A summer-less year
Image: Todd Diemer
The combination of a tepid spring with late snows and an exceptionally cold summer, featuring frosts in July and August made 1816 a year without a proper summer . On July 4th, the high temperature in Savannah, Georgia, was only 46°F. Finally, there was a drought during early fall that culminated in a killing frost well before the end of September.
The apparent cause of this unusually cold summer was the eruption of the Tambora Volcano, half a world away in Indonesia, in 1815. A tremendous cloud of fine ash and dust was ejected into the stratosphere, where it remained for an extended period, significantly reducing the sun's heat and light and causing a cooldown throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
7
The darkest day
Image: Ganapathy Kumar
On May 19th, 1780, an extremely dark overcast mixed with thick smoke from nearby forest fires made the day feel like night for the people of New England. The mysterious event was first reported at dawn over southwest Vermont, and it slowly traveled southeastward during the day. The last place to report this strange weather was Barnstable, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, in the late afternoon.
In Boston, the atmosphere darkened noticeably after 9 a.m., to the point where reading newsprint outdoors became difficult. Many New Englanders believed that Judgment Day was at hand.
8
Animal rain
Image: Sanket Rajurkar
It should come as no surprise that the number of people who have heard of raining animals is much higher than the number of those who have actually experienced this phenomenon. After all, these types of rain are highly unusual.
The first documented instance of raining frogs was in Kansas City in 1873. In Texarkana, Texas, another strange form of precipitation occurred—this time in the form of fish falling from the sky. According to science, animal rain occurs when small aquatic animals like frogs, crabs, and small fish are swept up in waterspouts or drafts that occur on the surface of the earth. They are then rained down along with the rain.
9
Technicolor solar storm
Image: Luke Tanis
Unlike the northern lights, which usually appear as blue and green swirls in the sky, solar storms are so intense that they create a kaleidoscope of colors and can also be seen in regions where people have never witnessed them before.
In 2012, one of these events produced a stunning aurora over Crater Lake in Oregon. Scientists believed that two clouds of glowing particles were flung toward Earth by sunspots larger than our planet.
10
Super refraction
Image: Matthijs van Schuppen
Imagine waking up and being able to see much farther than you ever could before. That is exactly what happened in 2013 to the people of northern Ohio. They were stunned to find that they could see the Canadian shoreline, which is not at all possible under normal circumstances.
Locals were able to see Canada because of a rare natural phenomenon known as super refraction, where rays of light are bent downward toward the surface of the Earth. This bending occurs because of changes in air density. During this light-bending, distant objects that are usually hidden from view become visible, as they are reflected in the rays of light.
