We've all been caught in the rain or woken up to see the streets outside coated in snow, but the world's weather is even more magical when seen from above. From icy lakes to spectacular sandstorms, we take a look at meteorological wonders from the skies.

Many head to the Dolomites for the winter ski season but this impressive mountain range in northeastern Italy also makes for a stunning road trip. The Great Dolomite Road strikes through the peaks, spooling out for 86 miles (138km), with plenty of hairpin bends along the way. The forest-flanked road is captured here in the depths of winter under a blanket of snow.

Central Texas is no stranger to heavy rain and flash flooding with major cities such as Austin feeling the effects. In fall 2018, the region saw devastating floods, with rivers swollen by rain, and Lake Travis rising to a record 704 feet (215m). This overhead photo captures the destruction with some homes entirely submerged in water.

With its jagged rock formations and gnarled pine trees, China's Yellow Mountain (Huangshan) is a mesmerising sight whatever the weather. But it looks particularly magical when a sea of clouds collects around its pinnacle. Here the phenomena is captured from up high, with sharp peaks cutting through the cloud cover.

San Francisco’s striking red Golden Gate Bridge is on many a US traveller's list of must-sees, though it's sometimes a little difficult to make out. Thick fog cloaks the landmark bridge through the summer months and it has even been given its own Twitter account and an affectionate nickname: Karl. Here Karl collects around the base of the epic structure.

Affectionately dubbed the Windy City, Chicago is well known for its chilly weather and proneness to battering storms, fog and snow. And true to form, this aerial image shows the sky turning dark as foreboding storm clouds creep over the city's skyline. Chicago also saw its rainiest May on record this year.

Hurricane Florence wreaked havoc across the Carolinas in 2018, with a storm surge of 9 to 13 feet (3–4m) and extensive flooding caused by rainfall of up to 30 inches (76.2cm). The hurricane also spawned additional deadly tornadoes which tore through the state of Virginia. Here, NASA captures its brute force from above.

Lightning is quite the spectacle whichever way you look at it but, when seen from above, it really impresses. In November 2018, an electrical storm saw giant streaks light up the skies of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city. This aerial photo captures the phenomena up close.

With its tropical climate, Florida gets its fair share of storms and hurricanes, especially during the rainy season. Devastating weather events across the state have included Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Irma in 2017. Here, a storm's dramatic approach is captured as mammoth clouds skulk across the city of West Palm Beach.

The Neman River beats a path through Eastern Europe, cutting through both Belarus and Lithuania. Flanked by trees, it's attractive up close but even more impressive from the sky – especially when glistening with snow in the winter. This symmetrical snap of a straight road straddling the snow-dusted river banks is particularly breathtaking.

The UK is not usually known for this particular weather event, but gale-force winds swept through northeast England in 2007, causing a freak sandstorm. Wind speeds reached up to 70 mph (113kmph), battering the town of Tynemouth and causing traffic accidents and significant damage to buildings. Here brave beach-goers struggle against the winds.

This Alaskan dust storm was caused by glaciers grinding against underlying bedrock – this action forms a kind of silty powder much like sand. The fine substance then collects in rivers and lakes, eventually making its way onto banks and deltas, where it is whipped up by the wind. The result is a dust storm like this one pictured by NASA.

With barely any sign of rain and levels falling far below the usual monthly average, Thailand is thought to be experiencing one of its worst droughts in a decade. Reservoirs have dried out and farmers' fields have been left parched as the drought affects vast swathes of the country. This photo of the Mekong River was captured in Ubon Ratchathani in July 2019.

Usually abuzz with hordes of thrill-seekers and bright with the colour of rainbow roller coasters, theme parks take on a whole new energy when trapped beneath a layer of white snow. This twirling coaster can be found at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois and its icy tracks were snapped in February 2018.

Yangzhou has a subtropical monsoon climate, with approximately 45% of the city's annual rainfall coming down in the summer. The rainy season typically lasts from June until July, though Yangzhou experienced heavy rains and flooding in May 2018. Here a car attempts to navigate the waterlogged roads.

The hot Mexican summer was in full swing in the city of Guadalajara, when a freak hailstorm left parts of the city covered by more than 3 feet (1m) of ice in June 2019. Vehicles were buried, homes were damaged and trees were felled by the battering hail. The devastating aftermath can be seen in this bird's-eye photo taken in June.

Switzerland is famed for its ski resorts and gorgeous snowy scenes, and this icy aerial shot doesn't disappoint. The photo, showing a crossroad slicing through fields thick with snow, was taken near Sottens in western Switzerland in April 2019.

While these Catherine wheels of cloud might look beautiful from above, hurricanes are deadly on land. This aerial image, taken by NASA in August 2015, shows hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio and Jimena surrounding the Hawaiian archipelago. The event represented the first time three category-4 hurricanes existed simultaneously in the Pacific.

A polar vortex in January 2019 saw Chicago and other parts of the Midwest experience teeth-chatteringly low temperatures, which plunged right down to -30.5ºC (-23ºF). The frigid temperatures resulted in several deaths, as well as cancelled flights, delayed trains and school closures. Chicago was nicknamed "Chiberia", with the frozen Lake Michigan before the city's skyline making for a dazzling sight.

A relatively frequent occurrence in the driest parts of the world, haboobs (intense sand or dust storms) can wreak havoc when they take hold. The Sudanese capital of Khartoum is no stranger to this phenomenon, with sands regularly taking over the city, leaving the sky burnt orange and roads and buildings covered in dust. A particularly fierce sandstorm blew through Khartoum in March 2018, causing schools to shut and flights to be grounded. 

Thailand may be celebrated for its sun, sand and beaches, but it also experiences a rainy season, with the wettest months typically being August to October. Here, in the height of summer, dark, moody clouds gather over the Thai capital and rain beats down in a steady stream.

Amassing wind speeds of up to 127 mph (204kmph), 2005's Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history. More than 1,800 people were killed, most of them in Louisiana, and the state experienced catastrophic flooding. Taken on 30 August 2005, this aerial shot shows the damage to a neighbourhood east of downtown New Orleans. 

Read more: Weather that changed the world in 2018

Winds reaching speeds of 118 mph (190kmph) and heavy rains ripped through the Asiago Plateau in northeastern Italy at the end of October 2018. The storm killed at least 17 people and an estimated 300,000 trees were felled or damaged, including large swathes of Italy's famed Violin Forest. In this photo a tree bows dramatically due to the force of the wind. 

Read more: The beautiful and terrifying power of Mother Nature in 29 incredible photos

The UK and other parts of northern Europe were gripped by a heatwave in the summer of 2018, which proved to be the joint-hottest summer on record. Here the effects of the hot weather can be seen as the usually lush Greenwich Park, one of the largest green spaces in southeast London, is left a sandy brown in July 2018. 

Read more: Amazing ruins where Mother Nature ran riot