According to the Center for Mars Exploration, the planet Mars has a thin atmosphere composed mostly of carbon dioxide. Modern atmospheric pressure on the planet is so extremely low that water cannot exist in liquid form. Annual dust storms, during the summer season of the planet's Southern Hemisphere, are characterized by planet-wide clouds of dust and dust devils, and spinning whirlwinds, some of which are known to be five to six miles high.
Compared to Earth, Jupiter experiences extreme storms. Scientists believe what is known as Jupiter's Great Red Spot is actually a hurricane that has been raging for more than three centuries. The Great Red Spot is an anticyclone, meaning an atmospheric high-pressure area. Winds in the Great Red Spot move as fast as 270 miles per hour, or 400 kilometers per hour. According to NASA, Jupiter's extremely fast rotation adds to the strength of the storm and causes the large planet to bulge at the equator and flatten at the polar regions.
When it comes to extreme planetary heat in the solar system, the planet closest to the sun comes in second. Temperatures on the sunlit side of Mercury reach more than 840 degrees Fahrenheit (450 degrees Celsius), hot enough to melt lead. However, the most extreme heat on a planet in the solar system is found on Venus. Temperatures on Venus, both during the day and night, average around 900 degrees Fahrenheit. This is due to the extreme greenhouse effect of the planet's atmosphere.
Debate as to whether or not Pluto should be classified as a planet has settled on the side of it not being one. However, the celestial body does orbit the sun. Surface temperatures on Pluto are so extremely cold that methane freezes on the surface. On the other hand, Uranus, about which there is no debate on planetary status, is home to extreme cold because the planet has unusually long seasons when compared to Earth. For example, for one quarter of a Uranian year, one-half of the planet experiences a dark winter. One quarter of Uranus's year equals 84 Earth years.
The most extreme planetary winds in the solar system are found on Neptune. Near Neptune's cloud system, known as the Great Dark Spot, the spacecraft Voyager measured winds at speeds near 1,200 miles per hour (2,000 km/h). Neptune's extremely long orbit, 165 Earth years, makes for seasons of up to 40 Earth years long.