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Three sequential photos of a 'gigantic jet' lightning bolt blasting out of the top of a cloud over Oklahoma, and shooting directly into space.

'Gigantic jet' that shot into space may be the most powerful lightning bolt ever detected

By Brandon Specktor published

Scientists detected the most powerful gigantic jet lightning bolt — a lightning bolt that shoots up out of a cloud into the ionosphere — ever.

Mineral deposits from Lake Mead, showing drop in water levels from drought.

Rare 'triple-dip' La Niña could bring another year of intense hurricanes and drought to the US

By Joanna Thompson published

The cooler climate pattern is predicted to persist for the third winter in a row, bringing an increased risk of powerful hurricanes to the eastern U.S. and flooding to Australia.

A visible satellite image of Hurricane Ida approaching land in the Gulf of Mexico, taken by NOAA's GOES-16 (GOES East) satellite at 4:10 a.m. EDT on August 29, 2021.

Expect another above-average hurricane season in 2022, NOAA predicts

By Harry Baker published

NOAA has announced that the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be more active than average for the seventh year in a row.

Lightning strikes light up the sky in Montevideo, Uruguay on Feb. 20, 2022.

What's the longest lightning bolt ever recorded?

By Emma Bryce published

Lightning is one of the greatest natural forces on our planet. New mapping tools are revealing just how big it is.

The Karnak Temple during the winter solstice on Dec. 17, 2015 in Luxor, Egypt.

Here's the science of the winter solstice

By Laura Geggel published

Today's winter solstice will boast the year's fewest hours of daylight for the Northern Hemisphere. Here's why.

A rare sandstorm swept across northern São Paulo on Sept. 26.

'Mad Max'-like dust storm envelops Brazilian city in cloud of doom

By Mindy Weisberger published

Unusually hot and dry conditions fueled a dust cloud and birthed a rare sandstorm of massive proportions.

A man cools off in a fountain in Piazza della Rotonda in Rome. A scorching heat wave is fuelling deadly fires across the south of the country.

Highest recorded temperature in European history reported in Italy

By Ben Turner published

Fires have raged across the Mediterranean for more than a week, burning many villages and forcing thousands to evacuate.

Buildings in the central business district of Beijing start to disappear from view during the sandstorm.

Orange veil of dust chokes Beijing in record-breaking sandstorm

By Harry Baker published

Beijing and northern China have been hit with one of the worst sandstorms in decades which has increased air pollution concentrations to dangerous levels.

A satellite image of Hurricane Florence off the U.S. coast in 2018.

Bermuda's hurricanes are twice as strong as they were six decades ago

By Harry Baker published

Hurricanes have more than doubled in strength since 1955, increasing at a rate of 6mph every decade. Now researchers better understand exactly why.

The ancient Acropolis in Athens was covered in white during a rare snowfall on Feb. 16, 2021.

Rare snow covers Acropolis of Athens in dazzling white blanket

By Stephanie Pappas published

Unusual weather blanketed the Acropolis with snow on Tuesday (Feb. 16), turning the iconic UNESCO World Heritage site in Athens into a scene from a holiday card.

A satellite image of snow on Mauna Loa on Hawaii's Big Island.

Snow blankets Hawaii volcanoes in stunning satellite image

By Harry Baker published

Hawaii has seen the second-largest covering of snow on the mountain peaks of Big Island since recordings began.

A view of the tent as the rescuers found it on Feb. 26, 1959. The tent had been cut open from inside, and most of the skiers had fled in socks or barefoot.

Russia's 'Dyatlov Pass' conspiracy theory may finally be solved 60 years later

By Brandon Specktor published

The infamous Dyatlov Pass incident, where 9 hikers died under mysterious circumstances, just got its first scientific explanation after 60 years of speculation.

Ice streaks the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert in northwestern Algeria.

Ice covers the Sahara Desert for just 4th time in 50 years

By Brandon Specktor published

The dunes of the northwestern Sahara desert were streaked with ice on Tuesday, creating a surreal landscape

A model showing how warm (red) air may impact the cold (blue) polar vortex that swirls over the North Pole.

Wandering polar vortex may cause a wild, snowy winter

By Laura Geggel published

A polar vortex disruption may cause snowy, cold weather in about two weeks.

Hair ice growing from dead wood in the Netherlands

Hikers find ghostly 'hair ice' clinging to trees in an Irish forest

By Brandon Specktor published

Hair ice has appeared on rotting trees all over the world, and fungus may be to blame.

Tropical Storm Theta

2020 Atlantic hurricane season shatters record

By Rafi Letzter published

Tropical storm Theta cements the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season's status as a record-breaker. And there's still time to run up the score.

A full moon rises

How to watch rare Halloween 'blue moon' tonight

By Rafi Letzter published

If anyone's trying to wake some dark spirits, tonight's the night. A "blue moon" and "beaver moon" will rise over All Hallow's Eve.

Satellite imagery shows Hurricane Zeta approaching Louisiana.

How Hurricane Zeta rapidly strengthened before slamming New Orleans

By Rafi Letzter published

Zeta was a weakened tropical storm just yesterday. Now it threatens a huge swath of the United States.

An eerie lenticular cloud forms over El Chalten mountain in Argentina

Ghostly 'UFO cloud' hovering over mountains wows judges in weather photo contest

By Brandon Specktor published

Lenticular clouds look like saucers and form when wind meets mountains. This photo is one of the Royal Meteorological Society's favorites of the year.

Lightning cracks the sky over Mallorca Spain. According to photographer Marc Marco Ripoll, "I tried many times to catch a good lightning strike behind this rock called Sa Foradada, but every time I tried, the conditions were not so good. This night I knew that a big storm was approaching Mallorca and all the conditions were perfect. I don't remember if the moon was full, but I remember that it was very big. This was perfect, because the moon was going to illuminate all the land and the sea and gives more color to the scene. I chose my composition, and I shot many pictures until the storm fell on me. To see the storm and the lightning that night was something amazing."

'Monster' storms and frozen bison: The most spectacular weather photos of 2020

By Brandon Specktor published

Here are the winners of the Royal Meteorological Society's 2020 Weather Photo of the Year contest, sponsored by AccuWeather.