Articles tagged as Weather | Smithsonian Magazine

A view of Chicago during the last polar vortex, which plunged the Midwest into winter misery in 2014.

The atmospheric phenomenon will pack a chilly one-two punch this week

December 14, 2016

Grab your coats—this was the scene on Mauna Kea this morning.

And more of the white stuff is on its way to the Big Island’s tallest peaks

December 5, 2016

Emissions from cars and other forms of transportation is one of the many sources of greenhouse gasses.

New Research

Global Emissions Plateaued for Three Consecutive Years. That Doesn’t Mean We Can Relax.

Several recent studies provided a glimmer of hope, but these developments alone won’t halt climate change

November 16, 2016

A NOAA illustration shows how La Niña usually affects winter weather.

Trending Today

It’s Back: La Niña Has Returned

What the phenomenon may mean for winter weather

November 11, 2016

Cool Finds

Naturally Formed Snowballs Cover Beaches in Siberia

Thousands have washed up on an 11-mile stretch of shore of the Gulf of Ob

November 9, 2016

Griffon Vultures Depend on the Sun to Fly. Why?

The Griffon vulture is one of the largest vulture species. Because of its giant stature, it uses an immense amount of energy to take off

November 2, 2016

New Research

Chill Ways to Recycle Last Year’s Snow

Let it snow!

November 1, 2016

Two natural color images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft show the changing appearance of Saturn's north polar region between 2012 and 2016.

New Research

The Swirling Storm Above Saturn’s North Pole Changed Colors

The years-long shift may be a sign of changing seasons

October 27, 2016

Dry conditions have dulled fall's gorgeous New England show.

Parched conditions in New England equal milder colors

October 25, 2016

In her new book, the acclaimed Thunder & Lightning: Weather, Past, Present and Future, Lauren Redniss is intrigued by how people have coped with, survived, or failed in extreme weather situations.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

How the 2016 MacArthur Genius Award Recipient Lauren Redniss Is Rethinking Biography

The visual biographer of Marie and Pierre Curie turns to her next subject, weather, lightning and climate change

October 24, 2016

A set of Civil War-era cannonballs were uncovered on a South Carolina beach after Hurricane Matthew.

The destructive storm dug up some old history

October 11, 2016

Two 2001 images from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter show a dramatic change in the planet's appearance when haze raised by dust-storm activity in the south became globally distributed. The images were taken about a month apart.

New Research

Major Martian Dust Storms Might Soon Envelope the Red Planet

A plus for meteorologists but perhaps bad news for rovers

October 11, 2016

Cool Finds

Why Iceland’s Biggest City Turned Off Its Lights for One Night

Reykjavik decided to pause in the dark to witness one of Earth’s most beautiful phenomena

September 30, 2016

Cool Finds

Record-Breaking Lightning Strikes Force Redefinition of the Thunderbolt

A 199.5-mile-long streak captured the title for world’s longest and a 7.74-second blast won world’s brightest

September 19, 2016

Dwindling sea ice in the Arctic threatens polar bears and causes increased conflict with humans.

With sea ice cover at record lows, polar bear conflict with humans becomes more common

September 15, 2016

The bike on display at the Harley-Davidson Museum.

The Motorcycle That Rode the Tsunami

A Harley, washed out to sea, traveled more than 4,000 miles to its current home

September 12, 2016

Having two cyclones in the ocean is not rare, but when they get too close to each other things can get crazy

September 1, 2016

People sit on a roof waiting to be rescued after Hurricane Katrina

Eleven Years After Katrina, What Lessons Can We Learn Before the Next Disaster Strikes?

Author and playwright John Biguenet offers his thoughts on the narrative of destruction

August 31, 2016

IBM’s Watson Takes On Yet Another Job, as a Weather Forecaster

The integration of the supercomputer and weather stations around the world could have a huge impact on global industry

August 26, 2016

Cool Finds

Calling All Conspiracy Theorists: Alaska’s “Mind-Control Lab” Is Hosting an Open House

Depending on who you ask, HAARP can control minds, weather, and even earthquakes

August 25, 2016