Balls of Lightning
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ball_lightning_appears_cropped.jpg
Lightning usually strike in the form of a long bolt from the clouds to the ground or over clouds. Sometimes, lightning can take the form of fiery balls that float to the ground and even enter buildings. These balls often make sizzling noises and give off glowing colors. Scientists think they are made up of heated or electrically charged gases. One controversial incident is a photo purportedly depicting natural ball lightning, taken in 1987 by a student in Nagano, Japan.
Biggest Snowflake
Image Source:
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2006/winter.weather/interactive/gallery.weather.records/content.1.8.html
The biggest snowflake ever found measured 15 inches across and 8 inches thick. It fell on January 28, 1887, at Fort Keough, Montana.
Pink Snow
Image Source: http://i.pbase.com/g6/70/672770/2/78521819.5oSTs0Dj.jpg
From Arctic explorers off Greenland in the 1800s to hikers in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains in 2004, many people have come across snow that looks red or pink. Long streaks of this snow, sometimes covering entire mountainsides have been reported and photographed. It's caused by microscopic reddish-colored algae that live only in cold climates.
Raining Frogs
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Singapourfish.jpg
Yes, it can happen. On many occasions, it has been reported that frogs, fish, and other small marine animals have rained down during a storm. This is likely caused by a waterspout or tornado that picks up animals from one spot and drops them down in another. The photo shows rain of fishes in Singapore, as described by local inhabitants.
Red Rain
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Red_rain_Kerala.jpg
Since ancient times, people have observed storms that brought mysterious red rain. One such storm occurred in southern England in 1968. It left behind a gritty red substance. Upon further study, scientist agreed the red color of the rain was from dust carried all the way from the Sahara desert in Africa. Also, from 25 July to 23 September 2001, red rain sporadically fell on the southern Indian state of Kerala.
The Summer That Never Showed
Weather can be affected by other events on Earth. Sometimes, if there is a large volcanic eruption, particles of ash and gases may block the sun in parts of the world, causing colder winters and cooler summers, even in places thousands of miles away. This happened in 1815, when the Tambora volcano erupted in Indonesia, bringing snow and frosts to parts of New England in June, July, and August of 1816.
Frozen Stones
The biggest hailstone recorded weighed 2 1/4 pounds.
In January 2000, Spain came under attack from an unknown assailant. Giant chunks of ice dropped from cloudless skies and crushed car hoods, punched through rooftops and windshields, and slammed into the shoulder of an elderly woman. In a 10-day period, 15 basketball-sized ice balls weighing up to 8 pounds pelted southern Spain.
