Recently, people all over the world have been
getting used to severe storms, heatwaves, droughts, and cold outbreaks - in short, to
all kinds of atypical weather for their regions. But some natural anomalies are so strange
that they stand out, even among the most unusual weather events. Here are the 12 most baffling weather phenomena
of the past couple years. 1. Deep-Frozen Niagara Falls
In 2018, the legendary waterfalls located at the border between New York State and Ontario,
Canada, managed to shock everyone into silence. Tourists who arrived to admire the power of
the roaring water were astonished to find Niagara Falls frozen! I’m jumping ahead of myself: the waterfalls
weren't frozen per se, since such a feat is impossible for a mass of flowing water that
huge. But microscopic water droplets that became
airborne off Niagara Falls, as well as the mist, formed a crust of ice over the top of
rushing water. As a result, when looking at the waterfalls,
you’d think for sure that they were frozen! In reality, the water kept flowing, but it
was hidden beneath the ice. 2. Alligators Stuck in the Water
If you’d visited the swamps of North Carolina at the beginning of 2018, you never would’ve
forgotten the view that you’d have been greeted with. Imagine ponds filled with ice-cold water and
covered with ice. Easy, huh? And now picture dozens of alligator snouts
that are poking out of the ponds, still and frozen in the ice. Despite this terrifying picture, the animals
are very much alive! That's only a very special crocodile way to
survive abnormally cold weather. Since their nostrils are above the water,
the predators can breathe while their bodies are in a hibernation-like state. It allows the animals to conserve energy and
stay warm – and alive. 3. Horseshoe Cloud
In March, 2018, people who looked up at the sky in Northern Nevada could see the rarest
and most bizarre cloud ever - a horseshoe cloud. Unless you know the scientific explanation
of this phenomenon, it can scare and puzzle even the most experienced sky-watcher. But meteorologists know that such a horseshoe
vortex happens when a flat cloud travels over a column of warm rising air. This air not only gives the cloud its impressive
shape, but also adds some spin to its movement. Unfortunately, such clouds are very fleeting
and usually last for only several minutes. On the other hand, you don't need too much
time to figure out what this cloud looks like anyway! 4. Record-Breaking Hailstorm
On March 19, 2018, the inhabitants of Alabama had to run for their lives from the huge chunks
of ice falling from the sky. It was the infamous hailstorm of Alabama,
which caused millions of dollars worth of damage. After the hailstorm, it looked as if the place
had been thoroughly trashed by savages: broken shop windows, smashed car windshields, broken
billboards, and holes in the roofs. But what made researchers really excited,
was a hailstone found near the town of Cullman, Alabama. This softball-sized monster was more than
5 inches across and, thus, set a new state record. I’m just glad I wasn’t under that gigantic
hailstone when it landed! 5. Snow in a Desert
Since we're talking about the most baffling natural phenomena, it would be a crime not
to mention snow in a desert! Yep, in the winter of 2018, the inhabitants
of the Sahara Desert, one of the driest and hottest places on this planet, woke up to
discover a thick blanket of snow covering the sand. In some places, the layer of snow, enveloping
the dunes, reached a staggering 15 inches. Meteorologists, however, had an explanation
for this exciting phenomenon. They stated that cold pools of air, combined
with the precipitation from the most recent storm, resulted in a snowfall instead of rain. 6. A 160-Day Storm
If a storm holds back your long-planned picnic, keep calm and think about how lucky you are
that it's not the Cataumbo - the world's longest lightning storm! The heart of the storm, which repeats every
year, is over Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, and it towers way higher than your regular thunderstorm. This natural phenomenon lasts for up to 160
days, and generates nearly 300 lightning strikes a day! You've probably heard how they say that lightning
doesn't strike in the same place twice? Well, the Cataumbo doesn’t seem to know
about this rule. At least, it doesn't prevent storm clouds
from gathering in the very same place, year after year. 7. Orange Snow
In 2018, eastern Europe witnessed an event as beautiful as it was spooky. Those who went skiing in Bulgaria, Romania,
Russia, or Ukraine in late March, glided down tangerine slopes under the red-tinted sky. Puzzled and excited, people described this
experience as walking on Mars or skiing down sand dunes. But however mysterious this phenomenon seems,
it has a disappointingly simple explanation. The sponsor of the extraterrestrial landscape
was a powerful sandstorm that had arrived from the Sahara desert. This storm had brought along dust, sand, and
pollen particles that colored the snow orange. Interestingly, it's not a one-time natural
phenomenon. Meteorologists say that orange snow covers
the lands of Eastern Europe at least once every five years. For example, in 2007, three regions of southern
Siberia and Russia got covered with "oily" bright-orange snow. I think the customary rule applies here too:
you should not eat yellow snow, or orange, or any color for that matter. Just sayin’. 8. Wildfire That Caused a Thunderstorm
One of the most common causes of wildfires is lightning from thunderstorms. But have you ever heard of a wildfire that
triggered a thunderstorm? Well, now you know: it happened on May 11,
2018, not far from Amarillo, Texas. Then, the super-powerful Mallard Fire not
only created a massive dense cloud, high in the air. Its heat also caused a violent thunderstorm
that later dumped tons of quarter-sized hailstones 60 miles away, in Wheeler County, Texas. 9. A Long-Track Tornado
In early May, 2018, New England observed one of the scariest and most dangerous phenomena
ever - a super-long-track tornado! The frightening natural phenomenon started
not far from Charleston, New Hampshire, and traveled toward the town of Webster in Merrimack
County. It took the tornado 33 minutes to cover 36
miles and become the third on the list of the longest-track tornadoes in New England. 10. The Frozen Atlantic
During the first week of January, 2018, unusually cold weather in the Northeast United States
froze the Atlantic Ocean in North Falmouth, Massachusetts! What's more, the ocean was frozen so thoroughly
that people were walking on the waves. Now, that’s obviously something you don't
see every day! 11. February "Heat Wave"
On February 20-21, 2018, people in the north-eastern part of the US experienced one of the most
extraordinary weather events of recent times, and it was... a heatwave! Yep, in February. In fact, it was the most impressive winter
heatwave since official weather records started in the 1800s. For example, in Fryeburg, Maine, people were
taking off their coats after the temperature had risen to a baffling 70 degrees F. In Fitchburg,
Massachusetts, confused people put on sandals when they saw the temperature outside - 80
degrees. The same was happening in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,
where the temperature reached 83 degrees, and in Wells, Maine, where thermometers showed
77 degrees. 12. Newfoundland Summer Snow
Even though the island of Newfoundland, in Canada, probably can't be called the warmest
place on Earth, it's still not that cold. But imagine you must shovel snow in front
of your house just several days before your summer vacation! Well, that's exactly what happened on the
island in June 2018. A cold storm that came from the coast of Newfoundland
covered several regions of the island with a 2-inch layer of snow. Even those who’d been living on the islands
their whole lives were impressed - nobody could remember that much snow so late in the
year. On top of that, the temperature broke all
the records as well. During the summer in Newfoundland, it's about
66 degrees F on average, and 90 degrees on the hottest day. But that infamous June shocked people with
only 37 degrees F in the morning! Yeah, that’s pretty chilly! How about you? Have you seen any weird weather anomalies
in the region where you live? Let me know down in the comments! If you learned something new today, then give
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