Thunderstor

m
GROUP
2
 What is the
thunderstorm?
A thunderstorm is a storm with
lightning and thunder. Its produced by
a cumulonimbus cloud, usually
producing gusty winds, heavy rain and
sometimes hail.
 What causes a thunderstorm and how does
it warm,
Thunderstorms form when form?moist air rises into cold
air. The warm air becomes cooler, which causes
moisture, called water vapor, to form small water
droplets - a process called condensation. The cooled air
drops lower in the atmosphere, warms and rises again.
 What causes a
thunderstorm?
The basic ingredients used to make a
thunderstorm are moisture, unstable air and lift.
You need moisture to form clouds and rain. You
need unstable air that is relatively warm and can
rise rapidly. Finally, you need lift. This can form
from fronts, sea breezes or mountains.
 4 different types of
thunderstorm
• Single cell
• Multi cell
• Squall line
• Super cell
 Single
Often called "popcorn"
convection, single-cell
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. Single-cell
storms may produce brief heavy
rain and lightning.
 Multi cell
A multi-cell storm is a common,
garden-variety thunderstorm in
which new updrafts form along the
leading edge of rain-cooled air (the
gust front). Individual cells usually
last 30 to 60 minutes, while the
system as a whole may last for
many hours. Multicell storms may
produce hail, strong winds, brief
tornadoes, and/or flooding.
 Squall
line
A squall line is a group of storms
arranged in a line, often
accompanied by "squalls" of high
wind and heavy rain. Squall lines
tend to pass quickly and are less
prone to produce tornadoes than
are supercells. They can be
hundreds of miles long but are
typically only 10 or 20 miles wide.
 Super
cell
A supercell is a long-lived (greater than 1 hour) and highly
organized storm feeding off an updraft (a rising current of
air) that is tilted and rotating. This rotating updraft large as
10 miles in diameter and up to 50,000 feet tall - can be
present as much as 20 to 60 minutes before tornado forms.
Scientists call this rotation a mesocyclone when it is
detected by Doppler radar. The tornado is a very small
extension of this larger rotation. Most large and violent
tornadoes come from supercells.
Super
cell
 When are
thunderstorms most
likely to occur?
Thunderstorms can occur year-round
and at all hours. But they are most likely
to happen in the spring and summer
months and during the afternoon and
evening hours.
 How many
thunderstorms are there
everyday?
It is estimated that there are
around 1,800 thunderstorms
that occur across our planet
every day.
 What is a
lightning?
Lightning is a bright flash of electricity produced
by a thunderstorm. All thunderstorms produce
lightning and are very dangerous. If you hear the
sOund of thunder, then you are in danger from
lightning. Lightning kills and injures more people
each year than hurricanes or tornadoes; between
75 to 100 people.
 What causes
lightning?
Lightning is an electric current. Within a thundercloud
way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen
raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in
the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge.
After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical
charges. The positive charges or protons form at the top
of the cloud and the negative charges or electrons form
at the bottom of the cloud. Since opposites attract, that
causes a positive charge to build up on the ground
beneath the cloud.
 What causes
lightning?
The grounds electrical charge
concentrates around anything that sticks
up, such as mountains, people, or single
trees. The charge coming up from these
points eventually connects with a charge
reaching down from the clouds and - zap
- lightning strikes!
 What causes a
thunder?
Thunder is caused by lightning. When a lightning
bolt travels from the cloud to the ground it actualy
opens up a little hole in the air, called a channel.
Once then light is gone the air collapses back in
and creates a sound wave that we hear as thunder.
The reason we see lightning before we hear
thunder is because light travels faster than sound!
 How far away can you see
lightning and hear thunder?
Within those distant thunderstorms, the lightning
bolts can be seen as much as 100 miles from us,
depending on the height of the bolt, the clarity of
the air, and our elevation. Thunder, in compariso,
has a much shorter range of detection - usually
less than 15 miles in a quiet rural setting and
under 5 miles in a noisy city environment.
 Can you tell how far away a
storm is?
Yes, you can use thunder to tell how far away a
storm is. Next time you see a storm, count the
number of seconds between when you see the
lightning and hear the thunder. Take the number of
seconds and divide by 5 and that will tell you how
far away the storm is in miles. For example: If you
counted 10 seconds between the lightning and the
thunder, the lightning is 2 miles away!
 What is a hail?
Hail is created when small water droplets are caught in the
updraft of a thunderstorm. These water droplets are lifted
higher and higher into the sky until they freeze into ice. Once
they become heavy, they will start to fal. If the smaller
hailstones get caught in the updraft again, they will get more
water on them and get lifted higher in the sky and get bigger.
Once they get lifted again, they freeze and fall. This happens
over and over again until the hailstone is too heavy and then
falls to the ground.
What is a hail?
 What is a gust front?
A gust front is the leading
edge of the downdraft from
a thunderstorm. It is
usually marked by gusty
cool winds, and sometimes
blowing dust. You will feel
the wind from the gust
front before it starts to
rain.
 Updraft
A warm column of air that rises within a cloud. If
the air is sufficiently moist, then the moisture
condenses to become a cumulus cloud.
 Downdraft
A sudden descent of cool or cold air to the
ground, usually with precipitation, and
associated with a thunderstorm or shower.
Safety
tips!
 When "outside"
AFTER YOU SEE LIGHTNING, START
COUNTING TO 30, IF YOU HEAR THUNDER
BEFORE YOU REACH 30, GO INDOORS,
SUSPEND ACTIVTIES FOR AT LEAST 30
MINUTES AFTER THE LAST CLAP OF
THUNDER.
 When "outside"
CROUCH LOW, WITH AS LITTLE OF YOUR
BODY TOUCHING THE CROUND AS
POSSBLE.
 When "outside"

STAY AWAY FROM CONCRETE

JUST AVOID WATER,