Have you ever heard someone talk about “the calm before the storm”? If you’ve seen storms up close, you know there’s usually nothing calm about them! So what are people talking about?
The calm — sometimes called a lull — before the storm is a phrase often used to refer to a period of peace or rest that comes right before a time that is very busy or hectic. When you think about it, it just makes sense.
If you’re suddenly very busy with activities or lots of excitement, the period of time before that started would naturally be peaceful by comparison. There’s actually a little more to it than that, though.
The calm before the storm got started as a phrase sailors used to refer to an actual weather phenomenon they observed often at sea. You may have noticed this phenomenon from time to time, too.
For example, have you ever been playing in your backyard on a warm summer day? As you’re having fun, you suddenly notice that the world around you seems quieter. The air around you is still and even the birds and other animals seem to have disappeared.
Before long, you start noticing changes. Clouds appear. Winds increase. You head for the house just as raindrops begin to fall from the sky. As you look out the window at the rain falling, you might wonder, “Why did it get so calm right before the storm?”
That’s the same question that sailors and other people have asked for thousands of years. Fortunately, the science behind storms can help us understand the calm that sometimes comes before them.
The fuel that storms run on is warm, moist air. As a storm approaches, it pulls warm, moist air from the atmosphere all around it. It can even pull air from the direction in which it’s traveling.
As air is drawn into a storm, it leaves a low-pressure vacuum in the area it came from. The warm, moist air travels up through storm clouds, cooling and condensing as it feeds the storm clouds.
However, updrafts quickly push the air out of the tops of the storm clouds. Once it gets pushed out, it descends back down toward Earth, drawn by areas with low-pressure vacuums (or, in other words, right back where it came from!).
As the air descends, it gets warmer and drier. This warm, dry air that settles back down to Earth is stable. As it covers an area, things tend to get quiet and calm. This is the calm before the storm!
Of course, things don’t always happen this way. There are many different types of storms that can behave in many different ways. Sometimes storms aren’t preceded by calm. Instead, they announce their arrival with wild winds and cracks of thunder.
(16 votes, avg. 3.38 out of 5) 
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Hi i’m back!!
What is the calm before the storm?
I don’t know, you tell me!
From laserdudle
Hey there, Laserdudle! We are glad you’re back today– we love WONDERing with you! We Wonder if you can read today’s Wonder and guess what it means to say there is a “calm before the storm”? We bet you’ll learn a new thing or two– thanks for joining the fun today!
We think a calm before a storm may be scary. We know that animals know there is a storm coming before we do.
We think tomorrow’s wonder will be about student not staying put, a dog not staying put, an exited child.
Hello, Wonder Friends in Ms. Bayko’s class! We are glad that you’re using your AWESOME imaginations this morning to Wonder with us!
We love that you learned about animal instincts today– it’s an indication that a storm is a-brewin’!
Also, thank you for sharing your guesses for tomorrow’s Wonder– we are so proud of all of you! We hope to see you tomorrow, Wonder Friends!
I just learned about this yesterday when Mike Nelson came to my school!!!
WOW, did you meet Mike Nelson, who wrote The Colorado Weather Almanac?! How very cool, Barbie Doll! We bet you enjoyed refreshing your memory with today’s Wonder about weather. We Wonder if you’d like to share something you learned from Mike’s visit to your school!?
Dear Wonderopolis,
Today’s wonder was unexpected and we enjoyed the video.
We think tomorrow’s wonder will be about things that don’t stay still like babies, students, or animals.
Thank you for the wonders,
Mrs. Tillman’s 4th graders.
WOHOO, we’re pumped to Wonder with the students in Mrs. Tillman’s 4th grade class today!
Today’s Wonder was unexpected, indeed, but we’re glad you liked it! We think you’re on to something with your guesses… we can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s Wonder will bring! Thanks for joining the fun today, Wonder Friends!
We have a lot of ideas about tomorrow’s wonder…… maybe it is about people, or animals or maybe even a tornado or earthquake. We can hardly stay put to find out!
HOORAY, Mrs. Keeling’s class is WONDERing today!
We think you have shared some STELLAR guesses! We can’t wait to find out what it will be… and we hope you’ll be back tomorrow to find out! We’ll see you then! 
We have calms before our storms in class, we get quiet and then we start talking all at once.
We have some thoughts about tomorrow’s wonder~ We had a lot of different guesses but we think Earth, Water, Clouds and Wind are our top 4 guesses! Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s wonder!
That’s a great example of a calm before the storm– way to go Mrs. Fish’s class! We love your nature-themed guesses for tomorrow’s Wonder– we can’t wait to see you again to find out! Have a WONDERful Wednesday, Wonder Friends!
Stop telling what tomorrow’s wonder teachers.
Hi there, Jacob, we Wonder what your favorite part of today’s Wonder was? We think it’s great that you’re using your imagination with all of us here at Wonderopolis!
We enjoyed the answer to today’s question. The video was surprising to us. While it helped to relax us after recess, it lacked the excitement that some of the other videos have had.
We think tomorrow’s wonder will be about: a baby, a trampoline, the earth, Mexican jumping beans, or dogs.
Hello Wonder Friends in Mrs. Wall’s 4th grade class! We are glad you liked learning about our stormy Wonder today! This particular Wonder is a bit more calming than the others– we agree!
We LOVE your guesses for tomorrow’s guess– we can hardly sit still as we wait for tomorrow’s Wonder!
This is a good story.
Thanks for sharing your comment today, Wonder Friend C! We sure are glad you learned something new today!
Hello my name is Luis and this story is cool I wish I was was at home enjoying my day.
Hey there, Luis! We are glad you liked WONDERing about storms, weather and science today! We hope you have a WONDERful Wednesday, no matter where you are!
I remember once there was Abigail storm here in Chicago there was almost a tornado. It ended up being a funnel cloud. It was amazing.
Hi there, Ethan, thanks for sharing your weather comment today! We think it’s interesting that there was nearly a tornado, but it didn’t make it all them way to formation! We know that Illinois has a lot of tornado warnings because of all the flat land in the state! We bet it was cool to see the Abigail storm from a safe distance!
Hey wonderopolis! Well, really what is the calm before the storm? Is it so that all of the animals and people get inside safe?
That’s a great Wonder, Gina M! We would love to think that the science of weather (which creates a calm before the storm) has a purpose! How cool that you connected the dots and thought of the safety of others! Thanks for sharing your SUPER comment today!
Dear Wonderopolis,
We think tomorrow might be about a baby because they won’t stay still. Some of our other guesses include the wind, a spinning top, the Earth (that never stays still), or a race car.
Thank you for the wonders,
Mrs. Witkowski’s 4th grade
COOL– we LOVE your guesses, Wonder Friends in Mrs. Witkowski’s 4th grade class!
You’ve done a great job using your imaginations to guess a movin’ and shakin’ Wonder for tomorrow! We can’t wait to find out what it will be– we’re oh-so-glad you’re here today! 
So this story is really boring I didn’t really like the story at all… You should get into more biology studies or forensic perhaps?
Hi there, Sarah A! We’re glad you commented on our Wonder today, we appreciate your thoughts! We’re sorry to hear today’s Wonder wasn’t your favorite, but thanks for sharing your suggestions for future Wonders, too! We are glad you’re WONDERing on your own!
We Wonder if you’ll enjoy this science-focused Wonder from the past:
Wonder #47– Why Do Leaves Change Color in Autumn? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-leaves-change-color-in-autumn/
Dear Wonderopolis,
Why does the air have a scent?
From: Sugar Cane
Great job WONDERing, Sugar Cane! We are so excited that you shared your question with us!
We haven’t done a Wonder about that particular question, but we bet you’ll enjoy learning about this sniff-worthy Wonder!
Wonder #675– How Does Scratch and Sniff Work? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-does-scratch-and-sniff-work/
I love science do you have any science based stuff on here because I’ve never been on before?????
We’ve got GREAT news, Sugar Cane! Wonderopolis has entire category full of science Wonders! Check it out here: http://wonderopolis.org/category/science/!
I think that the next wonder of the day has something to do with playground games or sports.
Great guess, Hope! We are happy that you’ve been WONDERing about science and storms today– we can’t wait to see you tomorrow!
Hi!!! I love wonderopolis!!
That’s STELLAR news, Hannah! Thanks for sharing your love and comment today!
Does every animal have a scent?
GREAT Wonder, Sugar Cane! We bet you could do some research of your own to find out if every animal has their own scent. However, a lot of animals use scent as their main sense– just like humans rely on sight and sound to find their ways around.
We bet you’ll enjoy Wonder #533– How Can We Know if an Animal is Color Blind? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-can-we-know-if-an-animal-is-color-blind/
I really don’t know. Where I live in Ohio, it is usually overcast before a storm.
Great point, EPES 5th grader! Sometimes storms can be different, but you might be familiar with the calm before a tornado! If you’ve ever had to go into the basement of your school or home due to tornado warnings, the calm before the storm is very real. We are so glad that you mentioned the sky– it is usually overcast before it rains or storms! Nice WORK!
I wonder if it’s calm before a storm? Well, no one knows!
We hope you take a look at our Wonder to find out what causes that calm before the storm, Hannah! Thanks for visiting Wonderopolis today, Wonder Friend!
Cool Wonder
Thanks very much, Wonder Friend Y! We’re glad you are having a fun time WONDERing with us today!
Hi thanks for your comment.
And thank you for YOUR comment, Wonder Friend W!
I really liked the video for this wonder!!!!! It made me want to go swimming really bad!!!! GREAT WONDER!!!!!
We love your enthusiasm, Happy Girl! Thanks for telling us how this Wonder made you feel– we LOVE to swim, too! We bet you’ll enjoy this underwater adventure– fish are excellent swimmers: Wonder #62– How Do Fish Breathe Underwater? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-fish-breathe-underwater/
The water looks peaceful the whole land look like a beautiful place to visit.
We certainly agree with you, Wonder Friend Madisen! Perhaps you will visit a place just like Newport Harbor– the video makes us want to go there right now! We loved the words you used to describe the location– peaceful and beautiful! Nice work!