Storm

any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere

A storm is a violent meteorological phenomenon in which there is heavy rain, and wind due to moisture in the air. Hail and lightning are also common in storms. More rarely, tornadoes can occur in storms.

The Ninth Wave of storm by Ivan Aivazovsky.

Hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes are, often, called storms too but they have special names because they are very, very strong. Storms are studied by scientists called meteorologists. The idea of shipping forecasts started with a concern to save ships from unexpected storms in the North Atlantic. A storm is associated with severe weather and may be marked by strong wind, thunder, lightning and heavy precipitation such as ice. Therefore, the knowledge of the weather condition is extremely important.[1][2]

There are many varieties and names for storms: icestorm, blizzard, snowstorm, ocean-storm, firestorm, etc. The storms called thunderstorms develop in hot, humid tropical areas like Mexico very frequently. The rising temperatures produce strong upward rising winds. These winds carry water droplets upwards, where they freeze, and fall down again. The swift movement of the falling water droplets along with the rising air create lightning and thunder.

The COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia is like a big storm.[3]

  1. U.S. Weather Tracking Map by Stormpulse
  2. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center
  3. Zandy, Moe; Kurdi, Sylvia El; Samji, Hasina; McKee, Geoff; Gustafson, Reka; Smolina, Kate (2023-02-27). "Mental health-related healthcare service utilisation and psychotropic drug dispensation trends in British Columbia during COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study". General Psychiatry. 36 (1). doi:10.1136/gpsych-2022-100941. ISSN 2517-729X. PMC 9971830. PMID 10.1136/gpsych-2022-100941. {{cite journal}}: Check |pmid= value (help)CS1 maint: PMC format (link)