Weather facts
Facts from the Weather category. Tap to start getting facts on a topic.
Wildfire risk is significantly increased by the presence of invasive plant species, which often have higher flammability than native vegetation. elaborate
The world's largest flood control system, the Three Gorges Dam in China, also generates a significant amount of hydroelectric power. elaborate
Mist is made of smaller water droplets than fog, and you can see farther through mist than you can through fog. elaborate
There are actually different types of lightning, including cloud-to-ground (the most common), cloud-to-cloud, intracloud (within a single cloud), and even cloud-to-air. elaborate
Polar satellites pass over the Earth's poles, providing complete global coverage over time, unlike geostationary satellites which only cover a specific region. elaborate
The strongest wind gust ever reliably measured was 253 mph (408 km/h) during the passage of Tropical Cyclone Olivia over Barrow Island, Australia in 1996. elaborate
The world's fastest supercomputers can perform calculations faster than the total number of seconds that have passed since the Big Bang. elaborate
Noctilucent clouds are so high in the atmosphere that they are still illuminated by the sun even after it has set below the horizon for ground observers. elaborate
Icing conditions can reduce an aircraft's lift by up to 50%, significantly impacting its ability to climb and maintain altitude. elaborate
Meerkats use different alarm calls to warn of different predators – a high-pitched bark for aerial threats, for example, and a chutter for ground predators. elaborate
Local winds, unlike global winds, are significantly influenced by the immediate landscape features like mountains and bodies of water, creating unique microclimates over relatively small areas. elaborate
Atmospheric stability can be dramatically altered by the presence of even a relatively small amount of cloud cover, affecting the likelihood of thunderstorms. elaborate
Weather balloons are so large that they can sometimes be mistaken for UFOs. elaborate
Clouds form when invisible water vapor in the air cools and condenses into tiny liquid water droplets or ice crystals around microscopic particles like dust, salt, or smoke suspended in the atmosphere. elaborate
Nor'easters can produce blizzard conditions, even though they aren't technically blizzards themselves. The blizzard criteria focuses on sustained wind speed and visibility, which are often met *within* a Nor'easter but not necessarily across the whole storm system. elaborate
Fog is essentially a cloud that has touched the ground. elaborate
Aircraft icing can occur even when the outside air temperature is above freezing, if supercooled liquid water droplets exist in the clouds. elaborate
Squall lines can sometimes produce surprisingly intense and localized downbursts of wind, even exceeding the strength of a typical tornado in a small area. elaborate
Data assimilation techniques are used not only in weather forecasting, but also to track animals, predict oil spills, and manage fisheries. elaborate
Valley Winds, a wind phenomenon, can be surprisingly strong and gusty even in seemingly calm weather due to the funneling effect of valleys. elaborate
Katabatic winds can be so strong they've been known to knock down trees and even cause significant damage to buildings. elaborate
Hurricane shutters can be surprisingly effective at protecting windows even from flying debris, but only if they're properly installed *before* the storm hits. elaborate
Jet streams can reach speeds exceeding 200 mph. elaborate
Intense rainfall can sometimes cause the ground to literally explode, a phenomenon called a "volcanic eruption" of mud and water due to high pressure build-up. elaborate
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