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Environmental By Joe Burgett -

World’s Strangest Weather Phenomena And How They Happen
Lenticular Clouds. Photo Credit: Michael Dorogovich/Shutterstock

Lenticular Clouds

  • Threat Level: None

While you may assume that the Aliens have arrived, that is not exactly what you’re seeing here. Lenticular Clouds form in a clearly unique way by sort of taking the form of what we assume a UFO looks like. From films or television, most people assume that a UFO looks like a flying saucer. However, keep in mind that UFO stands for “unidentified flying object.”

World’s Strangest Weather Phenomena And How They Happen
Incredible lenticular clouds in the sky during a sunset over the Varese lake. Photo Credit: Massimo De Candido/Shutterstock

Literally, anything we are not aware of flying through the sky is going to be a UFO. Lenticular Clouds obviously do not fly around, but the interesting appearance they possess is certainly cool to see. Although, it is clear that their appearance is among the strangest weather phenomena one can see too.

World’s Strangest Weather Phenomena And How They Happen
Lenticular cloud at sunset. Photo Credit: Stefano Politi Markovina/Shutterstock

Lenticular Clouds are stationary and form in the Troposphere, perpendicular to the current wind direction. They actually get their name from what they used to be compared to, “a Lens.” There are three main types: The Altocumulus Standing Lenticular, Stratocumulus Standing Lenticular, & Cirrocumulus Standing Lenticular. Each will vary in altitude.

World’s Strangest Weather Phenomena And How They Happen
Natural wonder catatumbo lightning. Photo Credit: Christianpinillo/Shutterstock

Catatumbo Lightning

  • Threat Level: Incredibly High

If you ever venture to South America where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo in the nation of Venezuela, we’d recommend avoiding the peak rainy seasons. Of course, in South America, it is hard to avoid the rain. After all, the most notable rain forest on Earth is located here. Yet they do not ship packages in or out of this place for some reason.

World’s Strangest Weather Phenomena And How They Happen
Catatumbo lightning at night. Photo Credit: Wikipedia

In any case, if you venture to this section of the world….you’ll likely have to deal with up to 260 stormy days per year. October is the peak of the wet season here and that is when you can experience up to 30 lightning flashes every single minute. The storms here can be incredibly extreme. While lightning flashes are one thing, they can touch the ground and destroy things.

World’s Strangest Weather Phenomena And How They Happen
3D illustration of Catatumbo Lightning. Photo Credit: Declan Hillman/Shutterstock

In one of the world’s strangest weather phenomena, Catatumbo’s major storms are said to be caused by a combination of mountainous terrain and wind patterns in this area. However, it is truly unknown why this specific area draws in more lightning than any other area. Several theories have been thrown out, but nothing has been proven as of yet.

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