Tag: weather

Categories
Nature

Witness the strange but beautiful Mammatus clouds

Witness the strange but beautiful mammatus clouds
Photo: Twitter/@konstructivizm

One of the rarest cloud types to appear in nature are the Mammatus clouds.

Mammatus clouds are an epic cloud formation which forms near heavy lightning storms.

As strange and menacing they may look, the clouds also indicate that the worst of a storm has passed.

Pouches of cool, sinking air cause give the Mammatus clouds their meatball-looking shape.

Check out these incredible cloud formations including the Mammatus clouds hovering over Mount Rushmore, Parker County, Texas, and pink ones over Germany.

Witness the strange but beautiful mammatus clouds
Photo: Twitter/@konstructivizm
Photo: Twitter/@jclick65
Witness the strange but beautiful Mammatus clouds
Photo: Reddit/Boris Jordan (taken in Germany)
Categories
Nature

Dragon Storm: A thunderstorm over the Great Pyramids of Giza

Dragon Storm: A thunderstorm over the Great Pyramids of Giza

A storm nicknamed the “Dragon Storm” made its way through Egypt on Thursday.

The storm produced a mixture of high winds, heavy rain, and hail that caused sand storms and flooding, respectively.

With all that’s going with the Coronavirus today and the bushfires raging over Australia at the end of 2019, it feels like a maelstrom of “biblical” phenomenons are happening in the world all at the same time.

The Dragon Storm reportedly killed over 20 people, making it the worst storm in Egypt since 1994.

But where there’s natural destruction, there’s often beauty.

Take the photography above over the Great Pyramids for instance.

While there’s some debate over the authenticity of the photo, it nonetheless illustrates the fascinating intensity of nature.

Dragon Storm: A thunderstorm over the Great Pyramids of Giza
The Dragon Storm over Egypt

Images via AccuWeather and Jason Benz

Categories
Science

Watch a soap bubble freeze

Watch a soap bubble freeze

Did you know that you can blow up soap bubbles and instantly freeze them into ice orbs?

If you’re searching for a fun cold-weather activity, this is worth trying out.

Popular Science explains the science behind bubble freeze, in addition to instructions on how to make one.

There’s some interesting science at play here. Every bubble is made up of three individual layers: a thin layer of water molecules squished between two layers of soap. It might look like the entire surface of the bubble is freezing, but what you’re actually seeing is the innermost layer of water—which freezes at warmer temperatures than soapy water—turning to ice within the film.

As the soapy water turns into ice crystals, the inside of the bubble appears to swirl around to create a beautiful effect of a snowglobe — very photographic!

But the ice bubbles don’t last forever, notes bubble photographer Chris Ratzlaff: “Bubbles are such ephemeral things,” he says. “To be able to literally freeze them in time is such a rare experience.”

Enjoy some more bubble freezing videos below:

Watch a soap bubble freeze
via twitter
via Nan Walton/tw
Categories
Animals Nature Science

It’s ‘Raining’ Iguanas in South Florida

It’s ‘Raining’ Iguanas in South Florida
via tw

Iguanas in South Florida are falling out of trees due to freezing temperatures.

Weather in South Florida dropped into the 30s on Tuesday night, which immobilized the iguanas and turned their bodies dormant.

“Don’t be surprised if you see iguanas falling from the trees tonight,” the Miami National Weather Service office tweeted.

The good news is that the iguanas woke up when the heat turned back up on Wednesday morning, like this one. While Miami suffered its coldest temperatures in 9 years, it’s expected to be back to 80 on Friday.

It’s ‘Raining’ Iguanas in South Florida
via Twitter
Categories
Nature Science

Tokyo’s skyline turns pink and purple colors before typhoon Hagibis

Tokyo’s skyline turns pink and purple colors before typhoon Hagibis
Photo: Twitter

As Typhoon Hagibis approached Tokyo on Saturday, residents captured images of an unusually pink skyline that gradually turned a spooky purple. 

While beautiful the vivid skies augured what would become a dangerous storm that unleashed heavy rain and strong wind. A magnitude 5.7 earthquake also shook Tokyo shortly after.

NPR reports 19 dead and 16 missing in Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures thus far. 

The colorful skies are a result of a process called “scattering,” where the sunlight shining down on Earth gets kicked around the moisture in the air giving rise to the pink and purple hues.

The typhoon left Tokyo late Saturday, leaving the city with a crystal clear blue sky on Sunday morning.