What is a Thunderstorm?

About Thunderstorm:

• It is a rain shower during which you hear thunder. Since thunder comes from lightning, all thunderstorms have lightning.
• Formation:
  • Thunderstorms arise when layers of warm, moist air rise in a large, swift updraft to cooler regions of the atmosphere.
  • There, the moisture contained in the updraft condenses to form towering cumulonimbus cloudsand, eventually, precipitation.  
  • Columns of cooled air then sink earthward, striking the ground with strong downdrafts and horizontal winds.
  • At the same time, electrical charges accumulate on cloud particles (water droplets and ice). 
  • Lightning discharges occur when the accumulated electric charge becomes sufficiently large.
  • Lightning heats the air it passes through so intensely and quickly that shock waves are produced. These shock waves are heard as claps and rolls of thunder. 
  • On occasion, severe thunderstorms are accompanied by swirling vortices of air that become concentrated and powerful enough to form tornadoes.
• 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.
• Thunderstorms are known to occur in almost every region of the world, though they are rare in polar regions and infrequent at latitudes higher than 50° N and 50° S. 
• The temperate and tropical regions of the world, therefore, are the most prone to thunderstorms.