From raining fish to glowing fire rainbows, our planet’s weather is getting stranger—and climate change is a big reason why. Rising temperatures and shifting jet streams are creating bizarre, once-rare weather events across the globe. This list reveals 12 of the weirdest phenomena—from blood rain to lightning in the Arctic—explaining how they form and why they matter. Each one is a stunning yet sobering reminder of Earth’s changing climate.
Weather has always fascinated humanity — unpredictable, powerful, and occasionally downright bizarre. But in recent years, the strange has become even stranger. From raining fish to glowing clouds, unusual weather phenomena are appearing more frequently, and scientists are linking many of them to the growing impacts of climate change.
As global temperatures rise, atmospheric and oceanic systems are shifting, amplifying rare events and creating new extremes. Below are 12 weird weather events that not only amaze but also serve as stark reminders of how profoundly our planet is changing.
1. Blood Rain: When the Sky Turns Red
“Blood rain” may sound biblical, but it’s a real phenomenon. It occurs when fine dust or sand particles — often from the Sahara Desert — mix with rain clouds and fall as reddish rain. Though harmless, its eerie appearance alarms many. Climate change contributes by intensifying desertification and windstorms, increasing dust in the atmosphere that fuels this surreal event.
2. Fire Whirls: Tornadoes Made of Flame
Fire whirls, also known as fire tornadoes, form when intense heat from wildfires combines with strong, swirling winds. These spinning columns of fire can reach temperatures over 1,000°C and move unpredictably. As global warming fuels longer droughts and mega-fires, fire whirls are becoming more frequent, especially in regions like California and Australia.
3. Thundersnow: Lightning in a Snowstorm
A rare blend of opposites, thundersnow occurs when thunder and lightning strike during heavy snowfall. It happens when warm, moist air clashes with cold, dense layers near the surface — creating the same energy found in summer storms. With warmer winters and shifting jet streams, such unusual weather events are appearing in more regions worldwide.
4. Heat Domes: Trapping the World in Hot Air
A heat dome forms when a high-pressure system traps hot air near the Earth’s surface, leading to prolonged, blistering heatwaves. Recent examples in Europe and North America have shattered temperature records, endangering millions. Climate change amplifies these domes by warming oceans and altering wind circulation patterns, causing extended periods of extreme heat.
5. Ice Circles: Nature’s Perfect Frozen Discs
Seen floating on rivers and lakes, ice circles spin slowly in near-perfect formation. They form when temperature fluctuations create rotating currents that carve circular ice sheets. Once an Arctic curiosity, they’re now appearing in new regions as fluctuating freeze–thaw cycles — intensified by climate instability — become more common.
6. Snow in the Sahara: Desert in White
Snowfall in one of the hottest places on Earth seems impossible, yet it has occurred multiple times in recent years. When cold air from Europe pushes southward and meets moisture over North Africa, it creates brief but stunning snowfalls. Scientists view Saharan snow as a sign of jet stream disturbances triggered by Arctic warming — another ripple effect of climate change.
7. Green Sky Before a Storm
A green-tinted sky can appear before severe storms or tornadoes. The phenomenon occurs when sunlight refracts through dense moisture in thunderclouds. While once rare, this colour shift is seen more frequently in supercell storms, which are intensifying due to warmer oceans and unstable air currents caused by global warming.
8. Marine Heatwaves: Oceans on Fire
Marine heatwaves occur when ocean temperatures rise abnormally for extended periods. They bleach coral reefs, drive fish away, and devastate marine ecosystems. Since the oceans absorb 90% of excess global heat, climate change directly fuels these events. The 2023–24 Pacific marine heatwave, for example, led to widespread coral bleaching across the Great Barrier Reef.
9. Lightning in the Arctic: Sparks in the Frozen North
Traditionally too cold for thunderstorms, the Arctic now experiences lightning storms during summer. Warmer air holds more moisture, creating conditions for electrical activity. This lightning ignites wildfires and accelerates permafrost melt — releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas that worsens global warming. Arctic lightning is one of the most alarming new signs of a warming world.
10. Fire Rainbows: The Sky’s Fiery Illusion
Also called circumhorizontal arcs, fire rainbows appear when sunlight refracts through ice crystals in high cirrus clouds, creating bands of vivid colour. Though not caused directly by climate change, increasing atmospheric moisture and high-altitude cloud formation have made them more visible in new areas. They serve as a striking symbol of atmospheric shifts in our warming era.
11. Atmospheric Rivers: Rivers in the Sky
These long, narrow bands of moisture carry vast amounts of water vapour — sometimes more than the Amazon River. When they reach land, they unleash torrential rain and floods. Warming air holds more water, making atmospheric rivers stronger and longer-lasting, as seen in California’s record rainfall events in recent years.
12. Fish Falling from the Sky
It sounds mythical, but “animal rain” has been reported for centuries — most commonly fish or frogs. It happens when waterspouts (tornadoes over water) suck small aquatic creatures into the air and drop them miles away. While not new, the changing frequency and intensity of storms linked to climate change could make such freak events even more common.
FAQs
What are some of the strangest weather events linked to climate change?
Phenomena like blood rain, fire whirls, thundersnow, and Saharan snow are among the strangest, each influenced by shifting temperature and wind patterns.
Why is climate change causing more extreme weather?
Rising global temperatures alter air and ocean currents, creating unstable conditions that fuel heatwaves, floods, storms, and other unusual events.
Can we predict weird weather phenomena?
Scientists can monitor atmospheric changes, but many phenomena remain unpredictable due to complex global interactions and local variations.
Are these events dangerous to humans?
Some, like heat domes or fire whirls, are life-threatening, while others, such as blood rain or fire rainbows, are largely harmless but still significant indicators of climate shifts.
What can be done to reduce these effects?
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving early warning systems, and adopting sustainable practices can help mitigate the intensity of extreme weather.
Conclusion
From fire whirls and blood rain to lightning in the Arctic, these extraordinary weather phenomena remind us how complex — and fragile — Earth’s climate truly is. Each “weird” event tells a story of imbalance, showing how rising global temperatures are reshaping nature’s systems in unexpected ways. Understanding them isn’t just about wonder; it’s about recognising the urgent need for climate action before these once-rare events become everyday realities.