We all know what heat feels like, but what does it look like? Armed with disposable cameras, a group of seventh-graders in Phoenix set out to document the summer heat. (photo by Gissel Marquez)

Storms, storms, everywhere! What kinds of different storms are there, and what causes them?

Air is all around you. It presses against your body all the time. That’s why we call it air pressure. Anyone can measure air pressure using a tool called a barometer. Barometers work because air has weight.

Fish falling from the sky. Hailstones shaped like crosses. Snow that turns blood-red when stepped on. These are just a few of the thousands of weird weather stories that Randy Cerveny has collected. These stories aren't science fiction--all of them are true.

In 1492, the Niña, Pinta, and the Santa Maria set sail during the peak of the hurricane season. Amazingly, Christopher Columbus and his small fleet did not come across a single hurricane. How could that happen?

The Earth isn’t well-behaved. For starters, our planet doesn’t stand up straight. It also doesn’t move in perfect circles. It tilts and wobbles. Sometimes it orbits the sun in an egg-shaped pattern. All this wiggling and wobbling has an effect on weather.

When you think about islands, you probably think about Hawaii or Jamaica. You probably don’t think about Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix has all the sand of a beachside resort, but it is not surrounded by water. Still, Phoenix is a type of island. Scientists call it an “urban heat island.”

How does a hurricane get its name?

Randy Cerveny is a climatologist at Arizona State University. He knows all about clouds and lots of other interesting weather stuff. Students always have lots of questions for the professor. He answers some of them here.

Scientists like facts. They use terms that mean specific things. When studying weather, you should know that meteorology and climatology are not the same thing.