The science of weather is a fascinating one; but even more so are the
flukes and irregularities that can occur within our world. This is a
list of 20 of the most amazing and unusual of those anomalies.
20. Moon Bows
A rainbow is caused by the Sun shining on moisture droplets, most
commonly in a post-rain atmosphere. A moon bow is much rarer, only seen
at night when the moon is low and full to almost full. One popular place
to see moon bows is at Cumberland Falls in Kentucky, as pictured above.
19. Mirages
Mirages occur when light is refracted to produce an image of an
object or the sky where it is not. It is most commonly seen on hot
surfaces, such as the pavement or a desert.
18. Haloes
Like rainbows, haloes are formed around the Sun due to moisture (in
this case ice crystals) being refracted from the Sun’s rays in the upper
atmosphere. Sometimes two or more areas of the circle or arcs
surrounding the Sun will be brighter, forming what are called Sun Dogs.
Haloes can also form around the Moon, and occasionally around the
brighter stars and planets like Venus.
17. Belt of Venus
The belt of Venus is a phenomenon that occurs during dusty evenings
when a band of pinkish or brownish sky will appear between the sky and
the horizon.
16. Noctilucent Clouds
Noctilucent clouds are atmospherically high clouds that refract light
at dusk when the Sun has already set, illuminating the sky with no
seeming light source.
15. Aurora Borealis
Also known in the southern hemisphere as the Aurora Australis, the
Aurora Borealis are charged particles from the Sun that have reached the
Earth’s upper atmosphere and become excited. They are more typically
seen closer to the poles and during the equinoxes of the year. [Photo
taken by Senior Airman Joshua Strang. Large scale public domain copy here.]
14. Colored Moons
Due to different atmospheric issues, the moon will occasionally
appear tinged with a color, such as blue, orange, or red. Excess
smoke, dust, and eclipses can cause the moon to change color.
13. Mammatus Clouds
These odd-shaped clouds are often associated with a storm front,
especially one involving a thunderstorm. It’s not completely understood
how they form. [Image copyright Jorn Olsen, available for purchase here.]
12. St Elmo’s Fire
This weather phenomenon is luminous plasma that appears like fire on
objects, such as the masts of ships or lightning rods, in an area that
is electrically charged during a thunderstorm. This occurrence was
named the after St Elmo, the patron saint of sailors.
11. Fire whirls
A fire whirl is either a tornado spinning too close to a forest fire or a whirl created from too much heat in the area.
10. Pyrocumulus Clouds
Another heat related phenomenon, pyrocumulus clouds form from the
fast and intense heating of an area to create convecture, which in turn
creates a cumulous cloud. Volcanoes, forest fires, and nuclear
explosion (in the form of a mushroom cloud) are all prime causes of
pyrocumulus clouds.
9. Sun Pillars
Sun Pillars occur when the setting sun reflects off high, icy clouds
at different layers. It creates a pillar of light that reaches high
into the sky. It is also possible to see moon pillars.
8. Diamond Dust
Linked closely to haloes, diamond dust is a fog made of frozen droplets.
7. Non-aqueous Rain
Rare and yet real, cases exist of rains of animals instead of water.
This has occurred occasionally throughout history, from the Biblical
times up to recent history. Meteorologists are still unsure of the
cause.
6. Virga
Virga is when ice crystals in clouds fall, but evaporate before
hitting the ground. They appear as trails from clouds reaching for the
surface, sometimes giving the cloud a jellyfish-like appearance.
5. Katabatic Winds
These are winds that carry dense air from a higher elevation to a
lower elevation due to gravity. They are known locally as the Santa Ana
(southern California), the Mistral (Mediterranean), the Bora (the
Adriatic Sea), Oroshi (Japan), Pitaraq (Greenland), and the Williwaw
(Tierra del Fuego). The Williwaw and winds traveling over the Antarctic
are particularly hazardous, blowing over 100 knots at times.
4. Fire Rainbow
A fire rainbow is an extremely rare phenomenon that occurs only when
the sun is high allowing its light to pass through high-altitude cirrus
clouds with a high content of ice crystals.
3. Green Ray
Also known as the Green Flash. This occurs very briefly before total
sunset and after sunrise. It appears as a green flash above the sun
that lasts very briefly, generally only a few moments. It is caused by
refraction of light in the atmosphere.
2. Ball Lightning
This is a very rare phenomenon that involves ball-shaped lightning
that moves much slower than normal lightning. It has been reported to be
as large as eight feet in diameter and can cause great damage. There
are reports of ball lightning destroying whole buildings.
1. Sprites, Jets, and Elves
All refer to phenomena that occur in the upper atmosphere in the
regions around thunderstorms. They appear as cones, glows and
discharges. They were only discovered last century, because of their
placement and their very brief life-span (they last less than a second).
source : http://listverse.com/2008/04/19/20-amazing-and-unusual-weather-phenomena/
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