THUNDERSTORMS

• Thunderstorm - A weather condition characterized by heavy rain and winds accompanied by lightning and thunder; sometimes with hail and tornadoes
• Convection is the key mechanism in thunderstorm formation (warm air rises and cool air sinks)
• The rising air is called updraft, and the sinking air is the downdraft
• When sufficiently ionized, air can become electrically conductive (plasma), causing conduction from streamers coming from the ground (finger-like electrical discharges)
• Single Cell Thunderstorm - A short-lived storm consisting of a single updraft-downdraft couplet capable of producing heavy rainfall and lightning
• Multi-cell Thunderstorm - A system of individual cells - Each cell lasts of 30 mins to 1 hours
• Supercell Thunderstorm - A highly organized thunderstorm with a large rotating updraft that can be 20 km in diameter and 15 in height
• Squall Line - A group of storms arranged in a straight line and is shorter-lived than multi-cells and supercells, and are less likely to produce tornadoes
• A water spout is a tornado that originated from a water body