13 Baffling Weather Phenomena That Still Puzzle Scientists

Weather usually means sunshine, rain or predictable storms — but sometimes the atmosphere surprises us with events so strange they stump researchers. Below are 13 unusual meteorological and related natural occurrences — from glowing spheres during thunderstorms to snow on desert dunes — that continue to intrigue scientists and the public alike.

Ball lightning

Witnesses describe glowing, floating orbs moving during storms. Ball lightning can persist for several seconds and has even been reported entering buildings before vanishing. Researchers have proposed several explanations — including vaporized silicon and plasma-based models — but the phenomenon remains poorly understood because it is rare and unpredictable.

Snow in the Sahara

Snowfall over Sahara dunes occurred in 1979 and again in 2018, briefly dusting the desert in white. Such events require an unusual combination of cold air and moisture; meteorologists are still investigating the precise atmospheric setups that allow snow to fall and temporarily persist in one of Earth’s driest regions.

The Tunguska blast (1908)

A massive explosion over Siberia flattened roughly 800 square miles of forest but left no clear impact crater. Eyewitness accounts describe a bright flash and a shock wave. The leading explanation is an airburst from a meteoroid or comet fragment, but the remoteness of the site and limited physical evidence mean debate continues.

The Dancing Plague (1518)

In July 1518, residents of Strasbourg experienced an episode of compulsive, sustained dancing that involved dozens of people. Theories include mass psychogenic illness and ergot poisoning from contaminated rye; historians and scientists still discuss how social, environmental and health factors combined to produce this baffling event.

The "Year Without a Summer" (1816)

Global temperatures dropped in 1816, causing crop failures and food shortages in many regions. The dramatic cooling followed the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, which injected ash and aerosols into the stratosphere and reduced incoming sunlight. The episode illustrates how volcanic eruptions can produce widespread climatic effects.

The Great Blue Hole

The Great Blue Hole off Belize is a vast sinkhole formed when sea levels were lower during the last ice age and coastal caves collapsed. While its origin is well established, researchers monitor ongoing changes in structure, water chemistry and ecosystems to better understand geological and oceanographic dynamics.

The 1952 London Great Smog

In December 1952 a dense, yellowish smog blanketed London for five days, contributing to thousands of excess deaths. A lethal mix of coal smoke, sulfur dioxide and stagnant air caused the crisis and led to major air-quality reforms. Researchers continue to study its long-term health and societal impacts.

Red rain in Kerala (2001)

In 2001, parts of Kerala, India, experienced rain tinted red. Laboratory analysis showed the color came from airborne spores of a terrestrial alga or fungus. Scientists debated how such high concentrations of spores reached and remained in the atmosphere; strong winds and localized uplift are among suggested mechanisms.

South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA)

The South Atlantic Anomaly is a region where Earth’s magnetic field is markedly weaker than surrounding areas, located over parts of South America and the southern Atlantic. The SAA likely results from complex flows in the outer core; its reduced magnetic shielding increases radiation exposure for satellites passing through and creates operational challenges for space systems.

Catatumbo lightning

At the mouth of Venezuela’s Catatumbo River, lightning flashes occur on many nights of the year — often cited as nearly 300 nights annually. Local geography, winds and atmospheric moisture combine to produce persistent convective activity, yet researchers still probe why the phenomenon is so consistent and why it occasionally pauses for extended intervals.

The Dust Bowl "Black Blizzards" (1930s)

Severe drought plus poor land management created massive dust storms across the U.S. Great Plains during the 1930s. In May 1934 a storm carried millions of tons of topsoil as far as the East Coast, darkening skies. The disaster led to soil conservation policies and changes in agricultural practice.

Heat bursts

Heat bursts are sudden nighttime temperature spikes tied to decaying thunderstorms. As precipitation evaporates into dry air, descending air can warm rapidly by compression, causing brief but sharp increases in surface temperature. They are rare but can harm crops and create heat-stress hazards.

Silent tornadoes

Most tornadoes produce a loud roar, but some form with surprisingly little audible noise. These "silent tornadoes" can be especially dangerous because they give fewer sensory warnings to people nearby. Meteorologists are studying how local atmospheric conditions and vortex structure influence the acoustic signature of tornadoes.

These 13 examples show that even well-studied systems can surprise us: the atmosphere, Earth’s interior and biological materials can interact in ways that remain partly unresolved. Continued observation, laboratory work and historical research help scientists narrow the unknowns — but nature still has many puzzling chapters left to explain.