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Weather

Explore clouds, winds, rain and other weather processes, including the observations and measurements used to investigate the atmosphere.

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Bright white cumulus clouds rising through a deep blue summer sky
EDITOR’S PICK

How Do Clouds Stay in the Sky?

Cloud droplets and ice crystals are heavier than air, so gravity does pull them downward. They remain aloft because individual particles are tiny and have very low terminal speeds, while rising air and turbulence…

Oct 6, 2026 • 13 min readRead the discovery →
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Latest discoveries

New stories, explanations and research from Weather.

Historic microscope photograph of a six-branched snow crystal by Wilson Bentley
Earth & The Planet

How Do Snowflakes Form?

A snow crystal begins when water vapour deposits as ice around a tiny particle in a cold cloud. The hexagonal arrangement of water molecules…

Oct 1, 2026 • 14 min read
What Causes Lightning and Thunder? — documentary reference image
Earth & The Planet

What Causes Lightning and Thunder?

Lightning is a rapid electrical discharge produced when separated charges create an electric field strong enough to break down the insulating air. Thunder is…

Sep 23, 2026 • 14 min read