short note on thunderstorm

An atmospheric disturbance manifested in strong winds accompanied by rain, snow, or other precipitation and often by thunder and lightning is called storm. Thunderstorms are one of the most thrilling and dangerous types of weather phenomena. Thunderstorms form when very warm, moist air rises into cold air. As this humid air rises, water vapor condenses, forming huge clouds. There are two main types of thunderstorms: ordinary and severe. Ordinary thunderstorms are the common summer storm and usually last about one hour. The precipitation associated with these storms includes rain and occasionally small hail. With ordinary thunderstorms clouds can grow up to 12 kilometers high.

Severe thunderstorms are very dangerous. They are capable of producing baseball-sized hail, strong winds, intense rain, flash floods, and tornadoes. Severe thunderstorms can last several hours and can grow 18 kilometers high.

How are thunderstorms formed?

In hot, humid, tropical, and equatorial areas, the temperature of the air over the land is very high. This causes the air to move upward and forcefully carry the water vapour present in the air, to a higher altitude. At high altitudes water vapour freezes to form water drops or hail which falls on the Earth. This sudden rise and fall of hot airand cold-water droplets causes lightning and thunder, and results in what is commonly called as a thunderstorm.

Did you know that over 40,000 thunderstorms occur throughout the world each day!

What are cyclones?

Water on the surface of the Earth absorbs heat and changes to vapour. As water vapour moves up higher in the atmosphere, it carries this heat along with it. The higher regions of the atmosphere are cooler. This condenses the water vapour into water drops.

When vapour cools down, it releases the absorbed heat into the atmosphere. The heat thus released warms up the air, which once again causes it to rise up. A low-pressure area is thus formed and the air from the surrounding areas rushes in. This sequence of events is repeated continuously.

Thus, this cycle is the result of the formation of a very low-pressure system with high wind speeds revolving around it. This weather phenomenon is known as a Cyclone.

The low-pressure centre of a cyclone is known as the eye of the cyclone. It is very calm i.e. the centre of the storm is actually free from storm and rain!

More about cyclones

• The height of a cyclone varies from l0 km to 15 km

• Cyclone is a whirl of a large mass of air in the atmosphere

• The size of the eye of a cyclone may extend from 30 km to 65 km in diameter

• The large mass of air containing clouds in a cyclone may extend up to 150 km with wind speeds of about 150 km to 250 km per hour

• Cyclones are called hurricanes in the American continent and typhoons in Philippines and Japan.

Factors that affect the generation of cyclones

• Humidity

• Temperature

• Wind speeds

• Wind direction

Why are cyclones destructive?

The characteristic features that makecyclones destructive are

• High wind speeds: Wind speeds ranging from 150 km to 250 km per hour are capable of destroying houses, crops, trees, electric and communication lines.

• Low pressure: High wind speeds and very low pressure conditions, especially around the eye of the cyclone, cause the ocean water to rise as high as 3 to 12 meters. This rise in the ocean water submerges the low-lying areas near the shore, causing damage to life and property along the shoreline. The fertility of the soil also gets affected due to the saline water of the oceans.

• Heavy rain: Cyclones are accompanied by heavy rains. If rains continue for longer periods, it causes floods.

Tornadoes also are destructive winds, but are smaller in size than cyclones. Violent tornadoes can have wind speeds of over 300 km per hour.

Thunderstorms are caused by violent air currents inside the clouds. Inside the warm clouds, the moist and warm air rapidly rises up. In doing so the water vapour in it condenses rapidly condenses to form tiny droplets of water, which freeze to form small particles of ice. During the condensation and freezing, a large amount of heat is released. this heat energy further pushes up ain in higher speed. The water and ice particles rub against each other rapidly rising air.This builds up a negative electric charge is then released by the clouds by the stroke of lightening.

 Thunderstorms are one of the most thrilling and dangerous types ofweather phenomena. Over 40,000 thunderstorms occur throughout the world each day.

Thunderstorms form when very warm, moist air rises into cold air. As this humid air rises, water vaporcondenses, forming hugecumulonimbus clouds.

There are two main types of thunderstorms: ordinary and severe. Ordinary thunderstorms are the common summer storm and usually last about one hour. The precipitationassociated with these storms includes rain and occasionally smallhail. With ordinary thunderstorms, cumulonimbus clouds can grow up to 12 kilometers high.

Severe thunderstorms are very dangerous. They are capable of producing baseball-sized hail, strongwinds, intense rain, flash floods, andtornadoes. Severe thunderstorms can last several hours and can grow 18 kilometers high. Several phenomena are associated with severe thunderstorms, including gust fronts, microbursts, supercell thunderstorms, and the squall lines.

Thunderstorm is caused by voilent air currents inside the cumulus(thunder)clouds.Inside the clouds,the warm and moist airrapidly rises up.In doing so the water vapour in itrapidly condenses to form tiny droplets of water,which freeze to form small particles of ice.during the condensation and freezing,a large amount of heat energy is released.

In hot, humid, tropical, and equatorial areas, the temperature of the air over the land is very high. This causes the air to move upward and forcefully carry the water vapour present in the air, to a higher altitude. At high altitudes water vapour freezes to form water drops or hail which falls on the Earth. This sudden rise and fall of hot air and cold-water droplets causes lightning and thunder, and results in what is commonly called as a thunderstorm.

A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm. A thunderstorm is a rain shower during which you hear thunder. Since thunder comes from lightning, all thunderstorms have lightning. A thunderstorm is classified as "severe" when it contains one or more of the following: hail three-quarter inch or greater, winds gusting in excess of 50 knots (57.5 mph), tornado. Three basic ingredients are required for a thunderstorm to form: moisture, rising unstable air (air that keeps rising when given a nudge), and a lifting mechanism to provide the "nudge."

Some ways to be safe from thunderstorm

·  Get out of the pool, lake, ocean, or any body of water. Water conducts electricity, meaning that electricity can travel through water.

• If you're outside, seek shelter in a house or building. If there's no house or building, wait out the storm in a car.
• If you're outside and can't get inside, don't stand under or near large objects, like tall trees. Lightning is more likely to hit something tall.
• Plan ahead. Talk with your parents about what to do if you get caught in a storm. Also be aware of the weather forecast when you'll be outdoors, such as on a camping trip. Then you'll be ready with a plan for getting to shelter if a storm blows up.