The corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) blooms rarely and produces the smell of rotting flesh to attract flies.

Lightning can heat air hotter than the surface of the Sun.

A single lightning bolt can power a home for weeks.

A bolt of lightning contains enough energy to toast 100,000 slices of bread.

The strangler fig germinates in the canopy and sends roots down — eventually enveloping and killing the host tree.

The most tornadoes in a single day occurred on April 27, 2011 — 218 twisters struck the southeastern US.

Sharks have existed longer than trees.

Volcanic ash can damage engines and machinery.

Thundersnow — lightning during a snowstorm — occurs when thunderstorm conditions coincide with temperatures below freezing.