The Best Weather Photos Of 2022

Looking back on 2022, climate change and weather stories frequently headlined the news. In the beginning of the year, winter storms brought snow as far south as the Carolinas and Tennessee. Some of the most compelling winter storm photos from this year show the ruins of the Marshall Fire near Boulder, Colorado, covered in snow, just days after the blaze destroyed hundreds of homes.

Tornadoes marched across the country during the spring, with severe storms striking the South for three consecutive weeks. In early April, a tornado outbreak brought at least 39 tornadoes throughout six states.

But it was the summer that packed some of the most dangerous weather. This year was one of the hottest summers on record, with major heat waves around the world, from the Americas to Europe to Asia. The U.K. hit its all-time high temperature at 104.5 degrees, and the heat sparked wildfires throughout Europe. According to the World Health Organization, at least 15,000 people died due to heat in 2022.

O​ther major weather events this year include the jaw-dropping flooding which destroyed roads and forced the closure of Yellowstone National Park for two weeks, Hurricane Ian’s destructive landfall in Florida (the state's deadliest storm in 90 years, with more than 150 deaths linked to the hurricane) as well as Hurricane Nicole’s major beach erosion.

Click through the slideshow above to see the best images from some of the biggest weather stories of the year.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.