Weather Facts for Kids
Wild facts about weather
The Foehn is a warm, dry wind that blows down the northern side of the Alps, sometimes raising temperatures by 10–15°C in just a few hours. Local residents often report headaches and difficulty sleeping during Foehn conditions.
Mammatus clouds form unusual pouch-like lumps hanging below the base of a cloud, most often seen with severe thunderstorm anvil clouds. The name comes from the Latin word 'mamma' meaning breast or udder.
Although a 'blue moon' is a calendar event rather than a weather phenomenon, the Moon can actually appear blue when large amounts of smoke or dust particles are in the atmosphere — for example, after a major volcanic eruption.
Frostbite occurs when skin and underlying tissues freeze due to exposure to extremely cold temperatures. The fingers, toes, ears, and nose are most vulnerable because the body reduces blood flow to the extremities to keep the vital organs warm.
An anticyclone is an area of high atmospheric pressure where air sinks and spreads outward, bringing settled and often sunny weather. In summer, anticyclones bring heatwaves, while in winter they can bring clear, frosty nights and fog.
The greatest snowfall in a single 24-hour period was recorded at Silver Lake, Colorado, USA, in April 1921, where 193 centimetres (about 6 feet 4 inches) of snow fell in one day. That is taller than most adults.
The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, extending from the ground to about 12 kilometres up, and is where virtually all weather occurs. Temperature decreases as you rise through the troposphere — roughly 6.5°C for every kilometre gained.
The winter of 1962–63 was the coldest in the UK since 1740, with temperatures staying below freezing for weeks and snowdrifts up to six metres deep in some parts of England. The sea even froze along parts of the English coast.
Isobars are the curved lines on weather maps that connect areas of equal atmospheric pressure. When isobars are drawn close together, it means pressure is changing rapidly over a short distance — which usually signals strong winds.
In tropical regions near the equator, intense rainstorms often last just 30–60 minutes but can drop more rain in that time than London receives in a month. These storms occur regularly in the afternoon because the intense heat causes rapid evaporation and cloud formation.