5 Rare Weather Phenomena Explained

Published on May 8, 2025

by Ashley Morgan

Weather can be wild, unpredictable, and at times — downright bizarre. While most of us are familiar with rain, snow, and thunderstorms, there’s a whole other world of weather that rarely makes the forecast. These rare events are so unusual, they often seem like something out of science fiction.

From glowing clouds to rains of fish, some weather phenomena are not only strange — they’re real, scientifically documented, and absolutely fascinating. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the rarest weather wonders ever recorded.

Weather Wonders You Might Never See

Here are five of the rarest and most curious weather phenomena that have left scientists and skywatchers alike scratching their heads in awe:

1. Ball Lightning

Ball lightning is one of the most mysterious weather phenomena, often described as glowing orbs of light that appear during thunderstorms and float eerily through the air.

Here’s what scientists and witnesses say about this elusive spectacle:

Appears as a sphere of light ranging from the size of a golf ball to a basketball.
Can last several seconds — far longer than typical lightning flashes.
May move horizontally, float, or even pass through windows or walls.
Still not fully understood, though plasma and microwave theories exist.

2. Catatumbo Lightning

Over Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, a unique weather pattern creates lightning storms that can last up to 10 hours a night — for more than 200 nights a year. This is known as Catatumbo lightning.

Here’s why this region lights up like a natural strobe light:

Mountains and lake moisture create perfect storm conditions.
Lightning strikes can number in the thousands per night.
It’s visible for miles and was historically used for ship navigation.
It’s so consistent, it holds a Guinness World Record for most lightning strikes in one place.

3. Red Sprites

Red sprites are electric discharges that occur high above thunderstorms. They’re massive but faint — and invisible from the ground during most storms.

These ghostly flashes have unique traits:

Occur up to 50 miles above ground level, in the mesosphere.
Often look like jellyfish or vertical tendrils of red and orange light.
Last only a few milliseconds and are usually captured via high-speed cameras.
They weren’t photographed until the 1980s — despite likely existing for millennia.

4. Fire Rainbows

Despite the name, fire rainbows have nothing to do with fire or rain. They’re actually circumhorizontal arcs, a rare optical phenomenon that occurs in high cirrus clouds when the sun is very high in the sky.

Here’s what makes them so captivating:

Require sunlight to hit ice crystals at precise angles.
Only visible when the sun is at least 58° above the horizon.
Appear as brilliant rainbow bands across wispy clouds.
More common in summer months at mid-latitudes — and often misidentified as regular rainbows.

5. Raining Fish

Yes, it’s real. Several towns around the world — especially in Honduras — report raining fish during intense storms. This bizarre event, known as “Lluvia de Peces,” is believed to be caused by waterspouts or strong winds.

Here’s what makes this phenomenon so astonishing:

Hundreds of small fish found flopping on streets after heavy rain.
Most likely explanation: fish are swept up from nearby water bodies and dropped inland.
It has become a cultural tradition in Yoro, Honduras, celebrated with festivals.
Despite documentation, no one has directly observed the fish falling from the sky — adding to the mystery.

The Backstory of Rare Weather Events

Many of these phenomena have been observed for centuries — but often dismissed as myth or exaggeration. With advances in technology and atmospheric science, researchers are now better able to study and explain them.

Ball lightning, for instance, appears in ancient Chinese writings. Red sprites were suspected for decades before modern cameras confirmed their existence. Today, scientists use satellites and high-speed imaging to track and understand these fleeting marvels.

Why It’s So Intriguing

What makes rare weather so captivating is its unpredictability. These are moments when nature seems to break its own rules — and that mystery draws us in. Even in an age of science, we still find ourselves awed by a flash of light or a fish on the pavement.

They also remind us how much we still don’t know about our planet’s atmosphere — and how weather can surprise even the most seasoned scientists.

What Most People Don’t Know

Here are some lesser-known facts about rare weather you can pull out at your next trivia night:

Sprites, blue jets, and elves are all types of upper-atmosphere lightning — each with distinct shapes and altitudes.
Ball lightning has reportedly appeared inside aircraft — without damaging the structure.
“Thundersnow” is a real phenomenon where lightning occurs during a snowstorm.
Earthquake lights — glowing orbs seen before quakes — may be electrical discharges caused by seismic stress.

Bonus Fact

The first known photograph of red sprites was taken by accident in 1989 — when a researcher testing a low-light camera pointed it above a thunderstorm just to see what would happen.

Takeaway

Weather is more than clouds and rain. Sometimes, it glows, floats, flashes, and even drops fish from the sky. These rare phenomena expand our understanding of what the atmosphere can do — and keep the wonder of science very much alive.

So next time you glance up at a stormy sky, remember: you might just catch a glimpse of nature’s strangest side.