So spring is here and summer is in sight.
At long last we have put the gloomy winter days behind us. That said, nicer weather is still far from guaranteed!
To make you appreciate the milder weather that little bit more, here we thought we’d take a look at some of the world’s weirdest weather.
Every now and then Mother Nature likes to throw a curve ball into the mix, just to show us what she’s really capable of. And from desert snowstorms to blood rains, it’s a pretty strange world out there at times.
Intrigued? Then read on as we explore some fascinating examples of weather gone wild!
Raining Cats and Dogs – Sort of
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’. But before you start looking up at the sky in hope, we should probably tell you that you’re likely to be disappointed.
That said, throughout history there have been many curious tales of animals mysteriously dropping from the sky.
It’s a rare occurrence to be sure, but there are engravings depicting animals raining from above dating back thousands of years!
Recent years have witnessed a number of examples of this strange phenomenon too. That’s right; fish and a number of other aquatic animals have been known to fall from the sky from time to time – so you might want to invest in a tougher umbrella!
Rains of fish have been documented everywhere from California to India, and even here in England too!
If you’re wondering how on earth these apocalyptic-like events occur, it’s actually pretty simple to explain. Given strong enough winds, small whirlwinds and mini-tornadoes may form.
When these travel over bodies of water, such as rivers and lakes, they pick up any small items in their path, including fish and frogs, carrying them for up to several miles.
Eventually, the clouds will open and drop their curious cargo – resulting in a hail of fish, frogs and whatever else they happen to have picked up – yikes!
Snow….. in the Desert
Yes you did read that right! Back in 2013, the hyper-arid Atacama desert – coincidentally also the driest place on earth – was hit by a rare snowfall.
This mysterious wilderness has had almost no measurable rainfall – ever! And the average precipitation in parts of the desert is only around 1-3 millimetres per year.
Which begs the question, where on earth did the snow come from?
This relatively uncharted territory challenges many misconceptions people have about deserts. For starters, it can get cold. Really cold. But this still doesn’t explain this incredibly rare snowfall.
It turns out that this unusual occurrence was caused by a freak storm that passed over the area. This, combined with a large cold front, saw the desert blanketed in up to 80 centimetres of snow – pretty incredible, right?!
Bleeding Sky
When it comes to weirdo weather occurrences, this next example pretty much takes the biscuit.
There are numerous documented cases of blood seemingly showering from the skies. In fact, this so-called ‘blood rain’ is actually a fairly common occurrence. And red-tinted rains have been reported since Roman times.
But before you accuse us of making the whole thing up, we should probably tell you that it’s not actually blood that gives these rain drops their red-tinged appearance, but rather sand.
Blood rain is actually caused by dust and sand swept up from deserts. This sand mixes with moisture in the clouds. And when the ensuing rain falls, it has a reddish appearance – hence the name.
So there you are, some of the world’s weirdest weather. Luckily, whatever the weather has in store, here at Heritage Heating and Cooling we can ensure the right environment in your workplace. We’re suppliers of a fantastic range of heating and cooling solutions, including a variety of Powrmatic heating systems.
Want to know more? Then simply contact us today by giving us a call on 01509 814 123.
