WEATHER

Help Map the World’s Auroras With the Aurorasaurus

Can you see the aurora? Tweet NASA scientists—they're cataloguing global sightings of the beautiful shimmering light.

15 Ways to Forecast the Weather (Without Your Phone)

You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, and you don't need an app to tell you when a storm is coming.

4 Hurricane Simulators That Whip Up Fake Storms

Researchers use powerful fans, rip down trees, and spray water to simulate dangerous storms.

Mapping 13 Years of Clouds on Earth

A New Umbrella Keeps You Dry on a Rainy Day

The Major League Baseball Pitcher Who Got Struck By Lightning

This Is What Thunder Looks Like

Courtesy Kongsfjord International Scuba School

How To Enjoy The Cold: Advice From An Arctic SCUBA Diver

University of Vermont Libraries Center for Digital Initiatives

Scenes From the History of Snow Removal

In some areas, the weather outside is pretty frightful. And since you've no place to go but outside to shovel, get cozy and read about snow removal in the good old days.

A Brief History of The Wacky Weatherman Trope

How Do You Calculate the Wind Chill?

What does it really mean when the weatherman says it feels like minus-20 today? Is there a wind chill thermometer somewhere, or is he just using a mathematical formula? Let's answer these and some of the other pressing questions about the ubiquitous winte

Fact-Checking a 1947 British Weather Report

6 Elaborate Plots to Prevent Tornadoes

There have been many harebrained attempts at preventing tornadoes.

Watch Lightning Strikes in Real Time

Watch Beautiful Thunderstorms Swirl

How Do Tornadoes Form?

The science of twisters

What Is El Niño?

Climate models are predicting that this fall, there's a 75 percent chance that an El Niño will occur. But just what is this weather phenomenon, and how does it affect us?

That Snow Down South Is Fake, Say Conspiracy Theorists

The government and/or terrorists must have dumped fake snow on the South as a chemical attack.

Making Snow with Hot Water and Other Frozen Phenomena

Why Do We Put Salt on Icy Roads?

Winter is officially here, and for those of you at more northern latitudes, you know what that means: snow and ice. And while walking in a winter wonderland is certainly wonderful, slipping and sliding can mean some nasty injuries.

Parhelia of "sun dogs" appear over a field in Iowa.

11 Wonderful Winter Weather Terms

When winter bears down, it can be hard to think of anything outside of how much you hate (or love!) the snow and ice. Here are a few of the words and phenomena that could define this season.

Why Does the Road Look Wet on Hot Days?

When this refracted light reaches you, your brain and eye don’t account for all the bending it did along the way. What you see is an inferior mirage where the mirage is under the real object.

6 Lesser-Known Terms for Weather Phenomena

This summer, you’re bound to hear emergency broadcasts, news reports, and videos of massive thunderstorms, with commentary and terminology you might not be familiar with. Knowing what those words mean can tell you a lot more about what’s going on than jus

Why Do Tornados Frequently Hit Oklahoma City?

Oklahoma City holds the dubious distinction of being the unofficial Tornado Capital of the United States. The U.S. city and its suburbs have endured more tornados than any other city—100 since 1890, as far back as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administ

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