Most of us are used to seeing heavy rains and destructive winds, and some of us are familiar with snow, and even earthquakes, however slight they may be. But when it comes to certain weather events, seeing is most definitely believing. It might be hard to believe many strange weather events that often seem highly unlikely can ever occur. Yet, there unusual phenomena that have baffled even though who bore witness.
Weather isn’t just rain, snow, sun, or wind. There are so many variations in weather, many that we’ve never heard of, that occur across the globe often to the wonder and disbelief of those who see it. It may seem incredulous to learn that a ball of lightning was a real event or that red rain could fall from the skies. Meteorologists and weather forecasters work hard to predict weather, but the weather isn’t always cooperative. A 60% chance of rain can easily turn into 10%. (Click here to learn about the most famous storm chasers in the U.S.)
To curate this list of weather events so strange you’ll think they’re fiction, 24/7 Tempo consulted various science and weather online sources for the most bizarre weather events. We decided to leave out major storms like regular tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms, and snow storms since they aren’t uncommon. The websites we consulted for this listicle include the National Weather Service, Desert News, the Weather Channel, and BBC Science Focus Magazine.
Lightning Balls
Lightning balls/ball lightning are an uncommon weather event that leaves viewers speechless. It’s hard to imagine a ball of pulsing lightning just casually floating around in your neighborhood, but it happens. There is still a lot we don’t know about this strange weather phenomenon.
The first possible recorded instance of a ball of lightning was in 1195. An English monk, Gervase of Canterbury, described a dark cloud that dropped a bright spherical shape.
Snow Devils
Snow devil is a freaky name for this strange weather event. It’s also known as a snownado, although it isn’t a tornado at all. Snow devils happen when the wind changes direction or temperature very fast against the surface, causing a vortex over the snow. This pushes snow up into a tornado-like shape. Although a little terrifying to see up close, it’s very rare and mostly harmless.
Blood Rain
Don’t let the name of this strange weather phenomenon fool you as actual blood doesn’t rain down. Instead, rain carrying small sand particles from deserts drops down, giving the appearance of blood. This orange-red rain is chilling to see. When the rainfall dries, it leaves a red dust that covers everything.
Fire Tornadoes
Fire tornadoes aren’t true tornadoes since they don’t form or touch a cloud base, but this terrifying and recently discovered weather event occurs when a whirl of wind and fire meet and create a vortex. This vortex sucks in debris and can intensify the fire.
It happens worldwide but is more common in areas with wildfires. Fire whirls, also known as fire tornadoes, are dangerous. They cause a lot of damage. A fire whirl killed an estimated 38,000 people during the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.
Supercells
This strange but also picturesque weather event is a severe but uncommon storm known as a rotating thunderstorm. It’s categorized by a deep and constantly moving updraft. These storms occur in one isolated spot for about 2 to 4 hours. Supercells are so powerful they can affect weather 20 miles away.
Ice Fog
Fog alone is annoying, so imagine adding in chilly ice particles. Ice fog is made up of little ice particles that stay up in the air. Temperatures during an ice fog can reach as low as −40 °F. This is an uncommon weather event in most of the world. It mainly happens in interior and northern Alaska.
Dry Lightning
Dry lightning happens during dry thunderstorms. In these storms, we don’t typically see rain. Instead, the rain almost entirely evaporates before hitting the ground. This is a common but strange weather event you won’t believe happens. It’s also potentially dangerous since dry lightning mainly happens during the dry season. A dry lightning strike could cause a massive wildfire.
Fish Rain
You’ve probably heard of raining cats and dogs, but raining fish is something else altogether. A few years ago, you may have seen a headline of fish rain in Texas. This shocking and extremely strange weather event also happens in Honduras about four times a year. It’s such a significant event that it’s even celebrated with parades and festivals.
White Rainbows
White rainbows, also known as fog bows, are a delight to see. This unique weather phenomenon is like a rainbow, but with fog, not rain. The colors are light and muted, often appearing with a red outer edge. Interestingly, white rainbows can even appear at night. At night they are called lunar fog bows.
Frost Flowers
Frost flowers sound like something out of a video game, but they are real. This interesting weather event happens during really cold weather. When the weather is cold and dry, ice crystals develop on sea ice and frozen lakes that resemble flowers. Imagine encountering a meadow of stunning frostflowers.
Morning Glory Clouds
Also on our list is the Morning Glory Cloud. This stunning cloud shape happens all around the world. It’s a long, wavy cloud consisting of roll or arcus clouds. These clouds can reach as long as 620 miles. While this unique cloud can happen anywhere in the world, it’s more common and predictable over the southern part of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Haboob
Haboobs are terrifying dust storms and are not too uncommon. They occur after a thunderstorm when cool air reaches the ground quickly, picking up dust from deserts. The dust becomes a thick wall that can be as wide as 62 miles. Dust storms are fast, with winds traveling as much as 62 mph.
Heat Bursts
Heat bursts are incredibly rare. During this strange weather phenomenon, bursts of heat randomly appear. The increase in temperature is sudden, in some cases even increasing as much as 140°F in just a few minutes. These heat bursts often happen at night, but there is still a lot we don’t know about it yet.
Are you interested in reading more about other jaw-dropping weather events? Check out the hurricanes that were so powerful they retired their names.