A tempest is a storm, so you can use the adjective tempestuous to describe anything stormy or volatile — from a tempestuous hurricane to a tempestuous romance.
The adjective tempestuous can describe violent weather, but it can also figuratively describe something that just has the characteristics of such blustery and turbulent weather. A person could be described as tempestuous if she’s prone to violent mood swings and fits of passion. Impetuous is a synonym. The author Joseph Conrad once wrote, “To have his path made clear for him is the aspiration of every human being in our beclouded and tempestuous existence.”
