Excellent thread, Estelyn! I also noticed that Tolkien often used the description of nature and weather in a symbolic way and just recently talked about this with my son, with whom I have been reading LotR.
One other example that struck me is in "The King of the Golden Hall"
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He raised his staff. There was a roll of thunder. The sunlight was blotted out from the eastern windows; the whole hall became suddenly dark as night.
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"Now Théoden, son of Thengel, will you hearken to me?" said Gandalf. "Do you ask for help?" He lifted his staff and pointed to a high window. There the darkness seemed to clear, and through the opening could be seen, high and far, a patch of shining sky. "Not all is dark. Take courage, Lord of the Mark; for better help you will not find."
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The doors rolled back and a keen air came whistling in. A wind was blowing on the hill.
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And when Théoden has come outside with Gandalf
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...they could see beyond the stream the green fields of Rohan fading into distant grey. Curtains of wind-blown rain were slanting down. The sky above and to the west was still dark with thunder, and lightning far away flickered among the tops of hidden hills. But the wind had shifted to the north , and already the storm that had come out of the East was receding, rolling away southward to the sea. Suddenly through a rent in the clouds behind them a shaft of sun stabbed down. The falling showers gleamed like silver, and far away the river glittered like a shimmering glass. "It is not so dark here" said Théoden.
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(This scene is soooo much better than the "Exorcism" in the movie!!)
Another example is the unnatural darkness that flows from Mordor on the Dawnless Day. It is of volcanic origin, but also willed by Sauron. Also the whole behaviour of Mount Doom seems an accurate description of nature, but reflects at the same time Saurons activity.
[ August 19, 2003: Message edited by: Guinevere ]