weather

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Videos

What's the difference between weather and climate?

What causes the seasons?

How do tornadoes form?

See how cloud formation near a low-pressure system or ongoing tropical storm fuels a hurricane

For Students

weather summary

Read Next

Kansas tornado over field. (twister, strom, weather, clouds)

How Do Tornadoes Form?

Lightning over the outskirts of Oradea, Rom., during the thunderstorm of August 17, 2005.

16 Questions About Earth’s Atmsophere and Weather Answered

Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree

Can Lightning Strike the Same Place Twice?

Flower. Fruit tree. Cherry. Cherry tree. Cherry blossom. Spring. Close-up of cherry blossoms in bloom.

The Perils of an Early Spring

Average temperature in the United States during August 2016, weather

What’s the Difference Between Weather and Climate?

Discover

Chapter 4 pg 42 - Chapter header of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Published in 1884 by The American Publishing Company

Periods of American Literature

In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.

6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

Shah Jahan. Taj Mahal. Mughal architecture. Emperor Shah Jahan fifth Mughal Emperor (reigned 1628-1658) India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli or Jammu and Kashmir, Mankot, circa 1690 Drawings; Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper (see notes)

6 Important Mughal Emperors

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics

10 Best Hockey Players of All Time

Attack on Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor infographic. World War II. Hawaii. United States. Japan. SPOTLIGHT VERSION

Attack on Pearl Harbor Timeline

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

weather: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

VIDEO: Weather bureau warns Karratha and Port Hedland at risk of direct impact from cyclone • Feb. 12, 2025, 6:27 PM ET (ABC News (Australia))

Plane Collision In DC: Weather’s Role In Recovery • Jan. 30, 2025, 1:51 AM ET (The Weather Channel)

AI Panic, Warmer Weather Sink Natural-Gas Futures • Jan. 27, 2025, 11:58 PM ET (Wall Street Journal)

Videos

What's the difference between weather and climate?

What causes the seasons?

How do tornadoes form?

See how cloud formation near a low-pressure system or ongoing tropical storm fuels a hurricane

See All Videos →

Topics

weather modification fog cloud frost precipitation dew air mass temperature inversion humidity atmospheric pressure plate tectonics hydrosphere climate change earthquake population biosphere continental landform ocean ecosystem erosion

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

climate: Introduction

Key People

Samuel P. Langley.

Samuel Pierpont Langley

American engineer

Edward Lorenz

American meteorologist and mathematician

Quiz

Umbrella colored like a rainbow sticking out above a sea of black umbrellas while it rains. (storm, weather)

Weather Words Vocabulary Quiz

Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree

Facts You Should Know: Weather Quiz

Iceland, Glacier lagoon (Jokulsarlon)

Winter Weather Words Quiz

Thunderstorm cumulonimbus clouds above Montana. weather storm thunderstorm atmospheric disturbance cumulonimbus clouds thunder and lightning Homepage blog 2011, science and technology

Clouds and Cloud Types

rain. Child in the rain, wearing a rain coat, under a yellow umbrella. April Showers weather climate rain storm water drops

April Showers to March’s Lions and Lambs

Archaea at Midway Geyser Basin in the Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Largest hot spring in Yellowstone, third largest in the world. Temp. 147-188F Dim. 250x380 ft. Archaeon, archeon, Yellowstone Geysers, algae

How the Earth Works: A Quiz

List

Lightning over the outskirts of Oradea, Rom., during the thunderstorm of August 17, 2005.

16 Questions About Earth’s Atmsophere and Weather Answered

Demystified

Average temperature in the United States during August 2016, weather

What’s the Difference Between Weather and Climate?

Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree

Can Lightning Strike the Same Place Twice?

Kansas tornado over field. (twister, strom, weather, clouds)

How Do Tornadoes Form?