Extreme Weather

Across the U.S.

Weather is something none of us can escape or control. Our planet experiences a wide range of weather phenomena, some pleasant and some terrifying.

 

However, there are some really rare and unusual weather phenomena that can really leave you scratching your head.

 

Tornadoes

Two tornadoes descend from a super-cell near Dodge City, Kansas, 24 May 2016, Ryan McGinnis/Alamy.

 

Tornadoes are one of the most 
violent weather phenomenon on earth. Although they can form at any time of they 
year, in the 
US they tend to 
occur more frequently between May and July.

 

About 1,200 tornadoes form in the US each year. They also form in other parts of the world, but are most common in the U.S., Argentina, and Bangladesh (NSSL).

 

According to NOAA, the ten deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history are as follows:

 

  1. Tri-State Tornado of 1925
  2. Natchez MS Tornado of 1840
  3. Great St. Louis Tornado of 1896
  4. Tupelo MS Tornado of 1936
  5. Gainesville GA Tornado of 1936
  6. Tri-State Tornado of 1947
  7. Joplin MO Tornado of 2011
  8. Amite LA and Purvis MS Tornado of 1908
  9. New Richmond WI Tornado of 1899
  10. Flint MI Tornado of 1953

 

 

Read more about tornadoes!

 

Fallstreak Holes

Fallstreak holes in altocumulus clouds photographed in Arizona USA, 31 March 2020, Alamy.

 

"Also known as a hole punch cloud or cloud canal, a fallstreak hole can form inside cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds. These holes are thought to appear when the water temperature in the clouds is freezing but hasn’t formed ice.

 

"When ice crystals do form (which can be helped by things like a passing plane), it sets off a chain reaction with can led to water droplets evaporating and leaving a massive hole behind.

 

"Because of their strange appearance and rarity, their formation has been known to be incorrectly blamed on unidentified flying objects.—ScienceFocus

 

 

Sprites

A ‘Jellyfish’ Sprite captured by Stephen Hummel at Mt. Locke Texas, 2 July 2020, Stephen Hummel.

 

"Unlike what we would regard as ‘normal’ lighting, Sprites occur way up in the Earth’s atmosphere at about 50 to 90 kilometers above us, so images of them are rarely captured.

 

"Sprites are a kind of cold plasma discharge that occurs above a thundercloud as nature’s way of balancing out the positive lightning charges are released between the thundercloud and the ground below.

 

"The spread of artificial lights at night is making it more difficult to see and study faint objects such as sprites, but better lighting techniques can help keep light on the ground and out of the sky. For more information on this check out the International Dark Sky Association’s web page."—ScienceFocus

 

Read More

For more information about these extraordinary weather features, visit ScienceFocus.