What is a thunderstorm?

A thunderstorm is a rain shower during which you hear thunder. Since

thunder comes from lightning, all thunderstorms have lightning.
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a
storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's
atmosphere, known as thunder.
Thunderstorms occur in a type of cloud known as a cumulonimbus. They
are usually accompanied by strong winds and often produce heavy rain and
sometimes snow, sleet, or hail, but some thunderstorms produce little
precipitation or no precipitation at all.
When we say Convection- it is a process by which heat is transferred by
movement of a heated fluid such as air or water.
 ****SHORT ANSWER: All thunderstorms need the same ingredients: moisture,
unstable air and lift. Moisture usually comes from oceans. Unstable air forms when
warm, moist air is near the ground and cold, dry air is above. Lift comes from
differences in air density. It pushes unstable air upward, creating a tall thunderstorm
cloud.

****All thunderstorms follow the same recipe. To form, these storms require three
basic ingredients:

Moisture, unstable air and lift.

Moisture in the air typically comes from the oceans—and areas near warm
ocean currents evaporate lots of moisture into the air.

Moisture in the air is also responsible for making clouds.

Unstable air forms when warm, moist air is near the ground and cold, dry
air is up above.

To create a thunderstorm, the unstable air needs to have a nudge upward.

 This lift usually comes from differences in air density. Warmer, less dense
air rises upward, creating lift.

As the air lifts higher and higher, it causes a storm cloud to grow taller and
taller. Thunderstorm clouds can rise up to 10 miles into the air!

In a big thunderstorm cloud, there are now strong upward winds and downward
winds happening at the same time. These are called updrafts and downdrafts.

This is the most dangerous stage of the storm, when tornadoes, hail, winds and
flooding can happen.

Updrafts continue to fuel the storm with warm, moist air. But, once a storm runs
out of updrafts, it starts to weaken.

As a storm begins to slow down, the rain and wind become less intense.

And by the end, all that’s left is a blue sky and an anvil-shaped cloud top.

***Thunderstorms develop when the atmosphere is unstable. This is when warm

air exists underneath much colder air. As the warm air rises it cools and condenses
forming small droplets of water.

If there is enough instability in the air, the updraft of warm air is rapid and the
water vapor will quickly form a cumulonimbus cloud. Typically, these cumulonimbus
clouds can form in under an hour.

As the warm air continues to rise, the water droplets combine to create larger
droplets which freeze to form ice crystals. As a result of circulating air in the clouds,
water freezes on the surface of the droplet or crystal. Eventually, the droplets become
too heavy to be supported by the updraughts of air and they fall as hail.

As hail moves within the cloud, it picks up a negative charge by rubbing against
smaller positively charged ice crystals. A negative charge forms at the base of the cloud
where the hail collects, while the lighter ice crystals remain near the top of the cloud and
create a positive charge.

The negative charge is attracted to the Earth's surface and other clouds and
objects. When the attraction becomes too strong, the positive and negative charges
come together, or discharge, to balance the difference in a flash of lightning (sometimes
known as a lightning strike or lightning bolt). The rapid expansion and heating of air
caused by lightning produces the accompanying loud clap of thunder.

***A severe thunderstorm watch is issued by the National Weather Service when
the weather conditions are such that a severe thunderstorm (damaging winds 58
miles per hour or more, or hail three-fourths of an inch in diameter or greater) is
likely to develop. This is the time to locate a safe place in the home and tell family
members to watch the sky and listen to the radio or television for more
information.
***A severe thunderstorm warning is issued when a severe thunderstorm has
been sighted or indicated by weather radar. At this point, the danger is very
serious and everyone should go to a safe place, turn on a battery-operated radio
or television, and wait for the “all clear” by the authorities.