Rapidly rising air causes thunderstorms. The cloud eventually rises upward to temperatures below freezing, creating ice particles. These ice particles may collide and bounce off of each other,...
Thunderstorms are responsible for the development and formation of many severe weather phenomena, which can be potentially hazardous. Damage that results from thunderstorms is mainly inflicted by downburst winds, large hailstones, and flash flooding caused by heavy precipitation.
A thunderstorm is classified as “severe” when it contains one or more of the following: hail one inch or greater, winds gusting in excess of 50 knots (57.5 mph), or a tornado.
The difference between a thunderstorm and a severe thunderstorm is the wind field. For a severe thunderstorm, the ingredients that must be present are moisture, instability, lift and strong speed and directional storm relative wind shear.
Thunderstorm, a violent short-lived weather disturbance that is almost always associated with lightning, thunder, dense clouds, heavy rain or hail, and strong gusty winds. Learn more about thunderstorms, including their structure and the different types.
Learn how thunderstorms form, what causes lightning and thunder, and how these violent phenomena help balance the planet's energy and electricity.
Picture a thunderstorm: heavy raindrops beat the roof, lightning flashes through the windows, thunder booms, the dog whines from his hiding spot under your bed.
Descriptions of various types of severe thunderstorms, from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory.
The building block of all thunderstorms is the thunderstorm cell. The thunderstorm cell has a distinct life-cycle that lasts about 30 minutes. A cumulus cloud begins to grow vertically, perhaps to a height of 20,000 feet (6 km).