Comet storms were astronomical phenomena characterized by many comets traveling close together in space. Comet storms could be found near planets and could pose a risk to a starship by obstructing its path.
D-Squad's shuttle flies through a comet storm near Abafar.
Comet storms contained many comets drifting in the same general direction through space. The larger comets in the storm had an opaque bluish-white center mass surrounded by a bluish cloud, with a translucent tail of the same substance, which appeared to be a foggy, milky gas. Light refracting through particles in a storm cast that part of space in a similar light blue sheen. These bigger comets could reach the size of a shuttle or larger, whilst smaller chunks of ice in a storm could be the size of an astromech droid. Although comet storms moved through space, they could be found near celestial bodies, such as planets and stars.
The normally blue tunnel of hyperspace turned red when a comet storm was near.
These storms were dangerous to ships and space travelers. Comets could inflict significant damage on light starships, such as the Confederacy of Independent System's Maxillipede shuttle. Despite being able to allow smaller ice comets to shatter or bounce off, ship hulls could be torn open, and windows cracked, by larger ones.
When traveling in hyperspace, the presence of a comet storm nearby turned the normally blue tunnel of hyperspace into a reddish, pinkish color. Additionally, ship sensors could pick up the presence of a comet storm before it was reached, allowing time for the pilot to exit hyperspace to avoid a collision at lightspeed. Scanners could also detect and display the size, shape and approximate positioning of ice comets in a storm.
During the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic's D-Squad encountered a comet storm near the planet Abafar while returning from a mission to steal a Separatist encryption module. After their Maxillipede shuttle was damaged by the storm, the droids and Colonel Meebur Gascon crash landed on the planet. They were stranded in the desolate Void for some time before finding refuge at the remote city of Pons Ora.