Looking for weather facts? Every day, we look out the window to gauge the weather and probably predict how the day will unfold. We can dress appropriately for such weather if we understand how the day will unfold. Weather has a variety of effects on us and can also have an effect on how we feel and perceive the world.
Simply put, weather is the atmosphere’s temporary state or condition. The weather is influenced by a variety of factors, including air pressure, temperature, and humidity. Here are 25 astounding facts about the weather. Let us begin our article on weather facts.
Weather Facts: 1-12
1. In December 1811, an earthquake caused sections of the Mississippi River to flow backward.
2. The Sun is Earth’s primary source of energy. It creates weather patterns, provides the energy necessary for plants to grow, and provides us with the oxygen and food we require to survive!
3. Climate and weather facts can be recorded thanks to the World Meteorological Organization; this United Nations agency is responsible for verifying figures such as the hottest day ever recorded.
4. Did you know that heat waves can bend steel train tracks? Due to the extreme heat, the steel expands and then buckles, posing serious problems on railway lines.
5. A lightning strike is estimated to strike the Earth’s surface approximately 44 times per second in any given location. This results in nearly 1.4 billion lightning strikes per year!
6. If the sun were to suddenly vanish, we would not notice for another eight minutes, as sunlight takes approximately eight minutes to reach Earth.
7. Raindrops come in a variety of sizes but travel quickly; some rain falls at speeds exceeding 30 kilometers per hour!
8. Bright red rain has been known to fall in Kerala, India! Although scientists initially believed the red rain was caused by a meteor burst, it was later discovered to be caused by airborne spores of a type of algae!
9. Snow falls so heavily in Antarctica that you can’t even see your hand in front of your face.
10. Aomori, Japan, is the snowiest city on Earth, receiving an average of 8 meters or 26 feet of snow every year.
11. When dirt and wind combine to form dust storms, they are dubbed black blizzards.
12. Hurricanes are tropical storms that form off the coast of Florida. In 1979, the largest hurricane recorded occurred in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Typhoon Tip hurricane was nearly half the size of the United States of America!
Weather Facts: 13-25
13. Sandstorms occur when a strong wind blows through sandy, open areas, most frequently deserts. The wind has the capability of lifting the top layer of sand from the ground and spinning it in all directions.
14. In the United States, there is a region known as Tornado Alley; this region, which stretches from West Texas to North Dakota, can experience over 200 tornadoes each year!
15. Some snow is preferable for snowball making! Snowflakes that fall through temperatures above 0°C will melt slightly around the edges; these flakes will easily stick together and form snowballs, which are ideal for an epic snowball fight!
16. Snow in large quantities absorbs sound waves! This explains the unearthly silence that can be felt when stepping outside following a heavy snowfall.
17. In 1861, the London Times published the first weekly weather forecast. Now all we have to do is check an app!
18. Every minute, approximately 2,000 thunderstorms strike the Earth.
19. Hurricanes are capable of bringing more than 6m of water ashore.
20. Black ice, a thin layer of ice on a surface, can make pavements extremely slick.
21. Waterspouts, or rotating columns of air above water, have the ability to rain sea creatures from the sky.
22. Each year, approximately 100,000 people get killed in weather-related accidents. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding are just a few examples. Each year, hurricanes alone cost the country (USA) approximately $28 billion.
23. Antofagasta, Chile, is the driest place on Earth. Each year, the city receives less than 0.1mm of rainfall, and it can go several years without receiving any precipitation at all.
24. Worms wriggle to the earth’s surface prior to a flood. This is because they are unable to obtain oxygen when the soil is flooded, and thus rise to the surface to breathe.
25. Chicago is frequently referred to as the Windy City, owing to the city’s high wind speeds. However, the windiest place on Earth is Cape Denison, a rocky outcrop in East Antarctica‘s Commonwealth Bay, with winds gusting to 153 kilometers per hour.