[Sky]

Bise Wind: Cold Northeasterly over Switzerland and the Jura

In western Switzerland and parts of eastern France, many people are familiar with a chilly, persistent wind called the Bise. This cold, dry northeasterly often blows along the north side of the Alps and the Jura, making lakeside cities feel much colder than the thermometer suggests. Where Does the Bise Blow?

[Sky]

Tramontana Wind: Cold Northerlies over the Western Mediterranean

Around the western Mediterranean, from northeastern Spain to southern France and parts of Italy, people know a cold, dry north wind called the Tramontana. It can clear the sky in hours, make temperatures feel much lower, and whip up rough seas. Where Does the Tramontana Blow? The Tramontana affects several regions, including:

[Sky]

Who Names Storms in Europe?

Europe does not have a single continent-wide authority for naming storms. Names are assigned by national meteorological services that coordinate in regional groups. When a storm is expected to cause significant impacts, the first service to issue a high-level warning uses the next name from its list and neighboring services adopt it.

[Earth]

Have You Seen These Underwater Bubbles?

Icy underwater bubbles are one of the most curious natural phenomena. In the Canadian province of Alberta, there is Lake Abraham, which is known among scientists and nature lovers because of an unusual phenomenon: a large number of ice bubbles that have frozen under water. These fantastic circles are actually made up of methane bubbles.

[Sky]

Quadrantid Meteor Shower Guide

The first big celestial event of the year arrives quickly: the Quadrantid meteor shower peaks during the night of 3–4 January. This shower is famous for producing brief outbursts of more than 100 fast, blue meteors per hour, but only for a few hours when Earth slices through the densest part of the debris stream.

[Earth]

What’s the difference between glaze ice (from freezing rain) and black ice?

In winter forecasts you may hear two very similar-sounding terms. In Russian they’re «гололёд» and «гололедица» — and they describe different kinds of ice. Glaze ice (ice on objects) This is ice that coats objects: tree branches, power lines, roofs, railings, cars. It most often forms during freezing rain/drizzle when the air temperature is around 0 °C (or slightly below) and supercooled droplets freeze immediately on contact, creating a smooth, glassy layer.

[Sky]

Ursids: The Year’s Final Meteor Surprise

If you still crave meteors after the Geminids, keep your gear handy for the Ursids. This faithful shower peaks on the night of 22 December, just after the solstice, delivering roughly 10 meteors per hour with occasional outbursts when Earth crosses dense filaments shed by Comet 8P/Tuttle. The radiant sits near the Little Dipper’s bowl in Ursa Minor, so it never sets for most Northern Hemisphere observers.

[Sky]

Have You Seen Polar Lights?

Polar lights are one of the most beautiful natural phenomena on Earth If we were to rank the most beautiful atmospheric phenomena, we would definitely give one of the highest places to polar lights. The ideal time for them is clear frosty nights from September to March at latitudes of about 67–70°.

[Sky]

Geminids: December’s Meteor Main Event

Clear a spot on your calendar for the Geminid meteor shower, widely regarded as the most reliable display of the year. Activity stretches from 4 to 17 December, and the peak is predicted for the night of 13–14 December with zenithal hourly rates near 120 meteors per hour under dark skies.

[Earth]

December 2025 Compared to December Months from 1924 to 2024