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.
With an updraft, downdraft, and rain, the cloud is now called a cumulonimbus cloud and the cycling of air up and down is called a thunderstorm cell. The moving air within the cloud builds up electric charges as it slides past other air.
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).
Thunderstorm: Also known as an electrical storm or lightning storm, a thunderstorm is characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth’s atmosphere, known as thunder.