lightning striking an erupting volcano in Iceland
a waterspout next to an erupting volcano in Hawaii
a lighthouse covered in frozen freshwater spray, St. Joseph, Michigan
a funnel cloud throwing debris in Wyoming
a man walking a handrail to avoid muddy floodwater in China
surfers riding a huge wave in Hawaii
a waterspout and lightning in Florida
a huge wave crashing over a sea wall in South Africa
a thunderstorm, lightning, and crescent moon
hail compared to a baseball
a store destroyed by Hurricane Frederic in Alabama
a tornado heading toward two cars on a country road in Colorado
travelers making their way through a snowstorm on the Patagonia Ice Cap
muddy flood waters spilling over a dam in Guatemala
purple lighting and a long shelf cloud in the Midwestern U.S.
a double rainbow over a Chilean coastal town
dark storm clouds looming over a beach on Grand Cayman Island
a ship cutting through waves in the Drake Passage near Antarctica
a car buried under landslide rubble in India
A close-up picture of a tornado in South Dakota
a haboob sandstorm encroaching on the Phoenix skyline
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Volcano Lightning, IcelandLightning cracks during an eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010. The eruption’s ash clouds delayed European air travel for nearly a week. Storms over volcanoes contain the same ingredients as storms over your hometown—water droplets, ice, and occasionally hail. The interaction of all of these elements creates an electrical charge that sparks lightning. Active craters add ash to the mix. (Related: “Iceland Volcano Pictures: Lightning Adds Flash to Ash” and “Pictures: Volcano Lightning, Illuminated.”) For an in-depth exploration of extreme weather events around the world, read National Geographic magazine's September feature "Weather Gone Wild." --Tasha Eichenseher
Photograph by Sigurdur H. Stefnisson, National Geographic

Extreme Weather Photos

From volcano lightning to landslides, Mother Nature throws some spectacular and scary screwballs our way. Take a look at the weirdest and wickedest weather of all.

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