Wild Misconceptions About Weather

Can lightning hurt you while you’re inside? Is there a chance that snow isn’t actually white? And are the northern lights your only chance to see auroras? Learn the answers to these questions and more in our latest YouTube video.
Don't believe everything you've been told about lightning.
Don't believe everything you've been told about lightning. / Mike Hollingshead/Getty Images
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If asked to grab a box of Crayola crayons and draw a rainbow, most people would draw ROYGBIV in an arc. That's the shape rainbows are most commonly depicted as being in popular media. Though it’s ubiquitous, the image you grew up with isn’t quite right.

That isn’t the only lie about the weather you've been taught since preschool. Your parents might have told you that going out in the cold with wet hair will give you a cold, though it’s mostly a myth.

But what about the truth behind other weather phenomena: Can lightning hurt you while you’re inside? Is there a chance that snow isn’t actually white? And are the northern lights your only chance to see auroras?

To learn the answers to these questions and more, check out the latest episode of Misconceptions. In the video above, host Justin Dodd debunks some of the most widely held mistruths about all kinds of the weather, from tornadoes to snowflakes.

Don’t forget to subscribe to Mental Floss on YouTube for new videos every week.

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