Typhon was a myth used by the ancient Greeks to explain extreme weather such as large storms, volcano eruptions and lightning.
Typhon was called the father of all monsters and Echidna his wife was the mother of all monsters. He was also the father of hot dangerous winds. Hesiod said that all hot dangerous winds come from Tartarus. He was so tall that his head reached the stars. His eyes breathed fire and his arms reached east and west and had 100 dragons on each. He had huge viper coils on his legs and when fully stretched they could touch his head (his head touched the stars remember) and made a sort of hissing sound. His entire body was covered in wings.
Typhon and his Battle with Zeus
Typhon was the last son of Gaia. Gaia asked Typhon to destroy Zeus because he had imprisoned the Titans in Tartarus and made Atlas hold the sky during the battle between the titans and Olympians.
Typhon had several sons and daughters including the Sphinx, the Nemean Lion, Cerberus, Orthrus, Ladon, Lernean Hydra and the Chimera. When he was angry Typhon would destroy towns and cities or throw mountains. He scared even the mightiest gods and they all went back home to Mount Olympus except for Zeus who battled and beat Typhon by throwing Mount Etna in Sicily on him. By hurling lightning bolts, Zeus drove Typhon to Tartarus where he was trapped and could not escape.