For novice hurricane hunters and seasoned forecasters alike, it's a year of cyclones, twisters, blizzards, heat waves, and the science behind the world's most mysterious weather phenomena.

Extreme Events: Consider the basketball-size hailstone that fell into a small town in Argentina, or Canada's coldest day, when an astonishing -81 degreesF temperature caused sound waves to bend.

Extreme Places: Al the mouth of the Catatumbo River in Venezuela, lightning is known to strike every 1 to 2 seconds. Literally.

Plus, discover weather's role in mythology, fascinating trivia, and terms such as "St. Elmo's fire"-a blue-violet plasma that emanates from pointy objects during thunderstorms.

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