A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning [1] and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. [2]

A thunderstorm is the result of convection. What is a severe thunderstorm? 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. How many thunderstorms are there?

Thunderstorm Types Often called “popcorn” convection, single-cell thunderstorms are small, brief, weak storms that grow and die within an hour or so. They are typically driven by heating on a summer afternoon.

2023年4月14日 · It is estimated that there are as many as 40,000 thunderstorm occurrences each day world-wide. This translates into an astounding 14.6 million occurrences annually! Annual number of thunderstorm days in the U.S.

3 天之前 · 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.

Most thunderstorms form in three stages: the developing stage, when storm clouds form; the mature stage, when the storm is fully formed; and the dissipating stage, when the storm weakens and breaks apart. When warm, moist air moves upward in an updraft, puffy cumulus clouds may form in the atmosphere.

2023年8月1日 · 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...

2025年3月26日 · Often lightning occurs between clouds or inside a cloud. But the lightning we usually care about most is the lightning that goes from clouds to ground—because that's us! As the storm moves over the ground, the strong negative charge in the cloud attracts positive charges in the ground.

2023年5月23日 · 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).

This website is designed to teach you how to stay safe in a severe thunderstorm. If you know what to do before, during, and after severe weather you can increase your chances of survival. You'll also find links to research, past events, other topics of interest, and downloadable materials about thunderstorms, lightning and tornadoes.