Blizzards And Twisters And Hurricanes, Oh My! When Weather Walloped 9-1-1, ER, Roseanne, Tree Hill And 21 Others
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The ice storm that opened 9-1-1: Lone Star's third season really gave us a chill — as well as got us thinking about the many other times that Mother Nature has rained (...or sleeted) drama down on our favorite TV shows.
Decades of TV history has shown us that a well- (or is it ill-?) timed blizzard, rainstorm, hurricane or tornado can veritably (and sometimes literally) drown characters in intense situations, forcing them to brave extreme elements and/or hunker down in close (...and sometimes cozy) proximity, to wait out said storm.
Such atmospheric adversities can create heroes (as with Dr. Doug Ross and Luke "I can't stop the weather machine!" Spencer), put LEOs to the test (as on Hawaii Five-0 and The X-Files), nudge would-be couples to rethink priorities, and even lead sitcom characters to weather a very different brand of zany antics.
There have been myriad weather-related episodes of TV over the years, and we are not here to recount them all. No, we simply present this curated sampling of 25 memorable times that rain, sleet, snow, twisters, windstorms and one supernatural creature turned the forecast for a TV show into "100-percent chance of escalated drama."
Review our list, then chime in with the weather-ravaged TV episodes you remember best!
All My Children's multiple tornadoes
Bones, 'The Blackout in the Blizzard'
Dallas, 'Winds of Vengeance'
If only JR hadn't literally left his calling card after sleeping with another man's wife, Southfork might've been spared two strangers (one played by Brian Dennehy) looking for justice as a hurricane-ravaged Texas in Season 1. Sue "Miss Texas" Ellen, in turn, might've been spared having to re-enact her turn in the swimsuit competition! (Watch the episode on Prime Video.)
Dawson's Creek, 'Hurricane'
Desperate Housewives, 'Something’s Coming'
Maybe Mother Nature got fed up with Wisteria Lane and decided to clean house? Though the original five wives made it through the Season 4 tornado relatively unscathed, Ida, Sylvia, and Victor (not to mention Carlos' eyesight) weren't so lucky. (Watch the episode on Hulu)
ER, 'Hell and High Water'
This Season 2 thriller had its 48 million viewers gasping for air right along with the little boy who Dr. Doug Ross — tuxedo-clad en route to a fundraiser, and after accepting a job at a tony pediatric clinic — labored to rescue from a flooding storm pipe. Amid a small maelstrom and as TV news 'copters hovered overhead, Doug rescued and revived the lad, then accompanied him to Country General for some final heroics, and to rethink his job change. (Watch the episode on HBO Max.)
Falcon Crest, 'Stormy Weather'
The phones are down, the pantry's near empty and the road's washed out, which can only mean one thing: It's murder-mystery game time! This classic Season 7 episode finds Angela, Maggie, Richard, Melissa, Dan and a bunch of others stuck in the house with an actual assassin. (Cue dramatic lightning strike... now!) (Watch the episode on IMDb TV.)
Family Ties, 'Birth of a Keaton'
Which part of this Season 3 episode is funnier: Elyse's high note as she begins to go into labor while singing on Steven's PBS telethon or Skippy's knit hat as Steven fights the blizzard to get to his wife's side? Discuss. (Watch the episode on Paramount+)
Friday Night Lights, 'There Goes the Neighborhood'
There's so much good Riggins-as-Taylor-roommate stuff in this Season 2 episode, we don't even mind the tornado contrivance. (Tim playing with the baby? We die.) (Watch the episode on Netflix.)
General Hospital's Ice Princess storyline
Golden Girls, 'The Monkey Show'
As part of a hurricane-themed night of comedy on NBC (remember those?), Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia hunker down at home while a huge storm passes through — and they weather a huge emotional storm, too, when Dorothy catches her sister Gloria in bed with her ex-husband Stan. (Plus, there was an Empty Nest crossover!) (Watch the episode on Hulu.)
Grey's Anatomy, 'Blowin' in the Wind'
A windstorm raged outside of Grey Sloan while tensions brewed indoors as game-changing truths came to light. Tumultuous winds were nothing compared to the drama of Meredith telling Maggie about Catherine's cancer, or Levi and Nico's sexual tension culminating with a steamy hook-up in the back of an ambulance. (Watch the episode on Netflix.)
The Haunting of Hill House, 'Two Storms'
While a storm rages over the funeral home as the present-day Crane family gathers for Nell's memorial (Nell's coffin crashes! Theo gets super drunk!), a similar squall rains down on Hill House in a flashback to the past (little Nell goes missing when the lights go out, but she says she was there the whole time!). Even without hidden ghosts lurking in the corners, the creep factor on this ep is high. (Watch the episode on Netflix.)
Hawaii Five-0, 'Made Prisoner by the Reign of the Rain'
A Season 9 hurricane didn't so much drench Five-0 but entrap the team members in precarious situations. Steve, Lou and Jerry, for example, found themselves at HQ protecting a captured serial killer from the assassin out to snuff him, while Tani's well-intentioned evacuation duty led her into a stash house, and the crosshairs of those who wished her harm. On the brighter side, Danny spent some quality (and cozy) time with a visiting Rachel.... (Watch the episode on Paramount+.)
How I Met Your Mother, 'Three Days of Snow'
As a blizzard blanketed New York City, Ted and Barney seized an opportunity to "run" MacLaren's, only to see the quiet bar be inundated with thirsty, rowdy college students. Marshall meanwhile leaned on Robin to shlep him to the airport (where they at one point get buried by a snow plow!), so that he could meet an arriving Lilly and hopefully keep one of their couple "traditions" alive. (Watch the episode on Prime Video.)
M*A*S*H, 'They Call the Wind Korea'
Even the threat of a nearing windstorm would not keep Major Charles Emerson Winchester III from his deserved R&R in Tokyo. With Klinger giving him a lift to Seoul, the two got detoured by a convoy and ended up woefully lost amid the arriving storm. When they happened upon wounded Greek soldiers beside an overturned truck, Charles MacGyver'd many a medical fix, bonding with Klinger along the way. As for where this pair of the 4077th's finest had actually wound up? That is best left unspoiled here. (Watch the episode on Hulu.)
The Nanny, 'Hurricane Fran'
Not even a hurricane could stop Fran from trying to enjoy her (probably) expensive cocktails during her island getaway. Is there anything more iconic than the trash bag-wearing fashionista intrepidly clutching both drinks while leaning against the harsh wind and rain? (Watch the episode on HBO Max.)
9-1-1, 'Sink or Swim' and 'The Searchers'
The Fox procedural left us drenched in drama after this multi-part event about a tsunami hitting the Santa Monica Pier in Season 3. Like most natural disasters on this show, fans went from "this is so ridiculous" to "just save Christopher!" almost immediately. (Find the episodes on Hulu.)
9-1-1: Lone Star, 'The Big Chill,' 'Thin Ice,' 'Shock and Thaw' and 'Push'
Just as Texas wasn't ready to be pounded by a massive ice storm, we weren't ready for this four-part event, which kicked off Season 3 by dramatically juxtaposing T.K.'s near-death experience with the birth of Grace and Judd's first child. (Find the episodes on Hulu.)
The O.C., 'The Rainy Day Women'
The torrential downpour in this Season 2 installment gave way to an iconic moment when Seth and Summer memorably recreated the rain-soaked upside-down Spider-Man movie kiss made famous by Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. (Watch the episode on HBO Max.)
One Tree Hill, 'Darkness on the Edge of Town'
Brooke basically dies after some post-car-crash heroics, and that's not even the most dramatic thing that happens in this rain-soaked Season 8 episode. (Katie and Quinn, anyone?) (Watch the episode on HBO Max.)
Roseanne, 'Toto, We’re Not in Kansas Anymore'
"Oh, man. Look at that cumulonimbus!" Dan may have started off a bit enamored with the twister that would wind through Lanford, but the sitcom ultimately drummed up some drama, what with Jackie going MIA during a C-store run for her sis, a blackout, and DJ coming perilously close to a shattering window. (Watch the episode on Peacock.)
The Walking Dead, 'The Storm'
By the AMC drama's Season 9 finale, we thought we'd seen every kind of walker there is. So imagine our thrill to get a whole new kind of chill from the blizzard that made snowbogeymen of zombies eager to take a (frost)bite of unsuspecting passersby. (Watch the episode on Netflix.)
The West Wing, 'Two Cathedrals'
The acclaimed NBC drama's Season 2 finale is best known for President Bartlet railing at God inside the National Cathedral, after laying Mrs. Landingham to rest — and all as his MS diagnosis was about to be leaked to a press corp already champing at the bit for a decision on him seeking a second term. But another kind of storm was brewing, of the tropical kind, and the sideways rain and gusts of wind made for a dramatic backdrop back at the Oval Office, where a vision of Mrs. Landingham counseled Jed on is big decision. He then arrived at his presser, damp with rain, ready to reveal his future. (Watch the episode on HBO Max.)
The X-Files, 'Agua Mala'
In the Season 6 ep, a drenched Scully helps a woman give birth as a water monster looms overhead and Mulder slowly near-dies out on in the hallway — y'know, just another day for the FBI's Most Unwanted. (Watch episode on Hulu.)