WEATHER

Storms, seasons, lightning and snow - the engine of the sky in motion.

50 facts

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The wettest and driest places on Earth are both extreme.

The wettest and driest places on Earth are both extreme.

One gets 470 inches of rain a year. The other hasn't had measurable rain in centuries.

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49 facts

The temperature range on Earth spans over 260°F.

DID YOU KNOW? The temperature range on Earth spans over 260°F. From 134°F in Death Valley to -128°F in Antarctica. 2 min read

A single cloud can weigh over a million pounds.

DID YOU KNOW? A single cloud can weigh over a million pounds. Even fluffy white clouds are made of huge amounts of water - they just float on warm air. 2 min read

Fog is just a cloud touching the ground.

DID YOU KNOW? Fog is just a cloud touching the ground. Same tiny water droplets, just lower altitude. 2 min read

A rainbow happens when sunlight bends inside raindrops.

DID YOU KNOW? A rainbow happens when sunlight bends inside raindrops. Each tiny drop acts like a prism, splitting white light into its colors. 2 min read

Some people feel sad every winter - and there's a real reason.

DID YOU KNOW? Some people feel sad every winter - and there's a real reason. Seasonal Affective Disorder is depression triggered by the lack of winter sunlight. 2 min read

How much daylight you get depends on where you are on Earth.

DID YOU KNOW? How much daylight you get depends on where you are on Earth. Near the equator - always 12 hours. Near the poles - anywhere from 0 to 24. 2 min read

Monsoons bring half a year's worth of rain in a few months.

DID YOU KNOW? Monsoons bring half a year's worth of rain in a few months. They're not just storms - they're seasonal shifts of wind direction that flip rainfall on and off. 2 min read

The Southern Hemisphere has opposite seasons from the Northern.

DID YOU KNOW? The Southern Hemisphere has opposite seasons from the Northern. When it's summer in Australia, it's winter in the US - and Christmas in Sydney is hot. 2 min read

Hibernation is way more extreme than just sleeping.

DID YOU KNOW? Hibernation is way more extreme than just sleeping. A hibernating animal's heart rate can drop from 200 to 5 beats per minute. 2 min read

Billions of birds migrate every year.

DID YOU KNOW? Billions of birds migrate every year. Some travel from the Arctic to Antarctica and back - pole to pole each year. 2 min read

Autumn leaves were always those colors - they were just hidden.

DID YOU KNOW? Autumn leaves were always those colors - they were just hidden. Yellow and orange pigments are in the leaves all summer. Green chlorophyll just covers them up. 2 min read

Near the equator, there's no real winter or summer.

DID YOU KNOW? Near the equator, there's no real winter or summer. The tropics have warm weather all year - but they have rainy and dry seasons instead. 2 min read

The northern lights are caused by solar wind hitting Earth's atmosphere.

DID YOU KNOW? The northern lights are caused by solar wind hitting Earth's atmosphere. Charged particles from the Sun crash into our magnetic field - and the result is a sky-wide light show. 2 min read

On the equinoxes, day and night are nearly equal everywhere on Earth.

DID YOU KNOW? On the equinoxes, day and night are nearly equal everywhere on Earth. These are the two days a year when the Sun shines on both hemispheres equally. 2 min read

Solstices are the longest and shortest days of the year.

DID YOU KNOW? Solstices are the longest and shortest days of the year. When Earth's tilt is most extreme toward or away from the Sun. 2 min read

We have seasons because Earth is tilted - not because we get closer to the Sun.

DID YOU KNOW? We have seasons because Earth is tilted - not because we get closer to the Sun. The Earth's 23.5° tilt means different parts get more direct sunlight at different times of year. 2 min read

Glaciers are basically slow rivers of ice.

DID YOU KNOW? Glaciers are basically slow rivers of ice. They flow downhill, just much slower than water - a few feet a year. 2 min read

Frostbite freezes your skin solid - and can happen in minutes.

DID YOU KNOW? Frostbite freezes your skin solid - and can happen in minutes. When skin freezes, the water inside cells turns to ice crystals. 2 min read

Antarctica contains 60% of the planet's fresh water.

DID YOU KNOW? Antarctica contains 60% of the planet's fresh water. It's a continent-sized block of ice - about a mile thick on average. 2 min read

Earth has gone through several ice ages - and we're technically in one right now.

DID YOU KNOW? Earth has gone through several ice ages - and we're technically in one right now. Ice ages aren't single events. They cycle over hundreds of thousands of years. 2 min read

A huge area of the planet has ground that hasn't thawed in centuries.

DID YOU KNOW? A huge area of the planet has ground that hasn't thawed in centuries. Permafrost - perpetually frozen soil - covers about a quarter of Earth's land surface. 2 min read

An avalanche can hit 60 miles per hour in seconds.

DID YOU KNOW? An avalanche can hit 60 miles per hour in seconds. A wall of snow racing down a mountain is one of nature's fastest natural disasters. 2 min read

Hail, sleet, and snow are all frozen water - but completely different.

DID YOU KNOW? Hail, sleet, and snow are all frozen water - but completely different. They form at different altitudes, in different weather, with very different shapes. 2 min read

90% of an iceberg is hidden underwater.

DID YOU KNOW? 90% of an iceberg is hidden underwater. What you see floating is just the tip - most of the ice is below the surface. 2 min read

An igloo can be 60°F warmer inside than outside.

DID YOU KNOW? An igloo can be 60°F warmer inside than outside. Snow is a brilliant insulator - and an igloo turns it into a tiny indoor climate. 2 min read

Snow is technically clear - it just looks white.

DID YOU KNOW? Snow is technically clear - it just looks white. The white color is light scattering off thousands of tiny ice surfaces. 2 min read

Most lightning never reaches the ground.

DID YOU KNOW? Most lightning never reaches the ground. Cloud-to-cloud lightning is far more common than the bolts you see hit the dirt. 2 min read

When lightning strikes sand, it can fuse it into glass.

DID YOU KNOW? When lightning strikes sand, it can fuse it into glass. The result is a hollow, branching glass tube called a fulgurite. 2 min read

The Empire State Building gets struck by lightning about 25 times a year.

DID YOU KNOW? The Empire State Building gets struck by lightning about 25 times a year. It's the tallest building in a thunderstorm-prone area, basically asking for it. 2 min read

DID YOU KNOW? There's lightning that shoots upward into space - and it's red. "Sprites" flash above thunderstorms, often unseen from the ground. 2 min read

Benjamin Franklin really did fly a kite in a thunderstorm.

DID YOU KNOW? Benjamin Franklin really did fly a kite in a thunderstorm. He was trying to prove lightning was electricity - and then invented the lightning rod. 2 min read

Volcanoes can make their own lightning.

DID YOU KNOW? Volcanoes can make their own lightning. As ash particles rub together in eruption clouds, they build up powerful electrical charges. 2 min read

Most people who get struck by lightning survive.

DID YOU KNOW? Most people who get struck by lightning survive. About 9 out of 10 lightning strike victims live to tell the story. 2 min read

Ball lightning is real - and scientists still aren't sure what it is.

DID YOU KNOW? Ball lightning is real - and scientists still aren't sure what it is. Glowing orbs of light have been reported during thunderstorms for centuries. 2 min read

Florida is the lightning capital of the United States.

DID YOU KNOW? Florida is the lightning capital of the United States. It gets struck more often than any other state - by a wide margin. 2 min read

A microburst is a column of wind that crashes straight down from a thunderstorm.

DID YOU KNOW? A microburst is a column of wind that crashes straight down from a thunderstorm. They've taken down planes - and can flatten buildings in seconds. 2 min read

Tornadoes can form over water - they're called waterspouts.

DID YOU KNOW? Tornadoes can form over water - they're called waterspouts. They're usually weaker than land tornadoes, but they can pick up fish and rain them down. 2 min read

A derecho is a hurricane-force windstorm with no rotation.

DID YOU KNOW? A derecho is a hurricane-force windstorm with no rotation. It's a wave of damaging straight-line wind that can stretch for hundreds of miles. 2 min read

A haboob is a giant wall of dust that can swallow whole cities.

DID YOU KNOW? A haboob is a giant wall of dust that can swallow whole cities. It's a massive dust storm pushed ahead of a thunderstorm. 2 min read

A blizzard isn't just a snowstorm - it has to meet three specific tests.

DID YOU KNOW? A blizzard isn't just a snowstorm - it has to meet three specific tests. Lots of snow and strong winds and low visibility, all at once. 2 min read

Wind makes cold air feel much colder than it actually is.

DID YOU KNOW? Wind makes cold air feel much colder than it actually is. It's called wind chill - and it's a real, measurable thing. 2 min read

The United States gets more tornadoes than the rest of the world combined.

DID YOU KNOW? The United States gets more tornadoes than the rest of the world combined. A specific weather setup over the central states makes it the world's tornado factory. 2 min read

Sandstorms can carry dust across entire oceans.

DID YOU KNOW? Sandstorms can carry dust across entire oceans. Sand from the Sahara desert lands in the Amazon rainforest - and fertilizes it. 2 min read

Hailstones can be the size of baseballs.

DID YOU KNOW? Hailstones can be the size of baseballs. The biggest one ever recorded was 8 inches across. 2 min read

The middle of a hurricane is eerily calm.

DID YOU KNOW? The middle of a hurricane is eerily calm. Right in the eye of the storm, the wind drops and the sky clears. 2 min read

Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are all the same storm - just in different places.

DID YOU KNOW? Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are all the same storm - just in different places. The name changes depending on which ocean the storm forms in. 2 min read

Tornadoes can have winds over 300 miles per hour.

DID YOU KNOW? Tornadoes can have winds over 300 miles per hour. They're the strongest winds on the planet. 2 min read

Snowflakes always have six sides - and no two are exactly alike.

DID YOU KNOW? Snowflakes always have six sides - and no two are exactly alike. Water molecules naturally bond into six-sided crystals, but each flake's journey is unique. 2 min read

A bolt of lightning is five times hotter than the surface of the Sun.

DID YOU KNOW? A bolt of lightning is five times hotter than the surface of the Sun. It briefly heats the air to 30,000°C - and that's what makes the BOOM of thunder. 2 min read

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