The truth is, you don’t have to be a social media fanatic to have heard of Reddit. It's a massive forum with 52 million daily active users where you're bound to find a community that will tickle your fancy the most, and today we'll be casting our attention to one of its image-based groups:

“Welcome to [community name]! This is a subreddit for high quality images of the wide range of weather phenomena, from violent storms to beautiful weather” – the group has been blessing folks with its content since May, 2011 and is currently the proud owner of 181K members. It dedicates its postings solely to high-resolution photos of different and noteworthy events such as snowstorms, tornadoes, rainstorms – basically all things weather.

To put it shortly, weather is the state of the atmosphere – however, specifically for our planet, the majority of events take place in the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere, which is around 18 kilometers (11.18 miles) above the Earth's surface. As we all probably know, it refers to things such as: our daily temperature, precipitation (which is any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and descends back to Earth), wind, and clouds.

It's important to distinguish between the terms and not confuse weather with "climate," as weather is recognized to describe short-term atmospheric conditions, while climate refers to weather that is averaged over a lengthy period of time in specific regions.

Nature produces unusual weather conditions, and just when you think that you’ve seen it all, perhaps, just like the members of this subreddit, you might be fortunate enough to witness some of the most jaw-dropping (sometimes downright chilling) atmospheric phenomena. 

So-called “blood rain,” which is not as alarming as it might sound and occurs when a high concentration of red-colored dust gets mixed into rain; high tides; rotating thunderstorms; coastal flooding; winter storms that feature freezing rain – the force and diversity of the weather can be truly astounding.

While the severity of each weather event varies, it is in your best interest to be on guard and to be mindful of a few safety precautions that might lessen the possible impact.

The National Safety Council, America’s leading non-profit safety advocate that specializes in reporting the facts on preventable injuries and deaths, stated that “weather-related deaths are up 35% from 2017,” with conditions such as winter weather and tornados being the leading cause of death and injuries. 

First and foremost – have a master plan for the unforeseen disaster on hand; pack your first aid kit and discuss the plan with your close ones. Carry a charged phone or a portable power bank at all times in case the situation calls (no pun intended) for an emergency phone ring. Always listen to experts such as safety officers, and evacuate the area when the circumstances demand it. Last, but certainly not least – stay calm and remember that an already stressful event can be made much worse when you don’t keep your cool. 

Chances are that you’ll be safe and sound, even in the case of a tornado – however, being prepared is critical. It’s equally vital to be mindful and respect the power of nature and not to try and go out of your way to, for instance, capture how the active lightning strikes. Bored Panda hopes that you’ve enjoyed this collection of breathtaking views. Give the community a follow – and remember, safety is our number one priority!