In the storm Vs. by the storm

Question

• your hanging flower pots might get blown down in this storm.

Could we use “by storm” instead of “in storm” ?

Since the storm could blow down something, I think, it means we can use “by storm” in passive?

Don’t you agree?

Could you tell me the difference between “by the storm” and “in the storm”?

Answer 1

It depends on what you want to express:

• If you want to express what sort of weather or even will cause the flower pots to get blown down, you would use by the storm. It is the storm that "does" this.
• If you want to express in what kind of circumstances this will happen, you can say in the storm. In that case, you are not saying that the storm will blow the flower pots down, but that this will happen during the storm.

Answer 2

Both are correct. When you say that the pot was blown by the storm, it means that the storm has caused something to happen, which in this case means that the hanging pot may be blown off. However, technically the pot needs to be in the storm for it to be blown away.

The most common preposition to use in this sentence would have to be 'by', similar to how you would say 'Getting on the bus' as opposed to 'Getting in the bus'. You could decide to be technical about the sentence, or say it in a more often and casual way. Best of luck.