Questions tagged [thunderstorm]
The thunderstorm tag has no usage guidance.
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What causes thunderstorms to develop in the early dawn hours?
I know that a majority of thunderstorms form in the daytime due to convection from sunlight heating in a moist, unstable airmass. Once the sun begins to set, these storms dissipate.
But on some ...
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Does lightning strike density decrease over cities?
I've been noticing that large (for the northeast US!) lightning storms seem to lose their lightning as they move over downtown Boston. Example gif below (from today, August 19 2021, ~5 am - 11 am ...
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Why aren't positive cloud-to-ground lightning strikes associated with the precipitation core of a storm?
My understanding is that positive CG flashes are more common on the leading edge or tail end of a storm, and can be associated with weakening storms. Shouldn't the most powerful lightning strikes (+CG ...
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Are thunderstorms normal at the end of a heat wave?
As far as I know, heat waves form when a high-pressure system builds up over an area. This forms a sort of "cap" over the affected area which prevents air from rising and cooling and then ...
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Thunderstorm Frequency Depending on the Year [closed]
Why is it that some years have significantly more thunderstorms than others while other years have significantly less? For example, in 2008, there were 15 thunderstorm days in Asheville but above 40 ...
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Rain during Hot Weather
During hot weather, it is uncommon for there to be rain without lightning and thunder if the weather is hot. I find that the general rule of thumb is that if it is raining while it is 70 degrees or ...
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Earth's Electricity
This question s titled according to of one of the Nikola Tesla's patents. There he stated that lightning generates electric waves in Earth.
"In the course of certain investigations which I carried ...
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Average thunderstorm days for each month
How can I find the average number of days with thunderstorms for each month for different cities in the United States? I’m doing a researching project for this and I need to find some links that will ...
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Conditions of Thunderstorms
Why do some heavy rainstorms and hailstorms not produce any lightning or thunder at all when I thought that these conditions of heavy rain and hail are right to bring lightning and thunder but don’t ...
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Thunderstorms in the Great Smoky Mountains [duplicate]
What time of the year does it rain the least in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and what month gets the least amount of thunderstorms
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Thunderstorms vs Thundershowers
What is the difference when the weather report says thunderstorms vs when it says thundershowers and the picture is still the same?
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Peak season for Thunderstorms
What causes different locations to get their peak season for thunderstorms at different times of the year like some locations get the most thunderstorms in a July some in June and some in August and ...
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Thunderstorms in Mountains
When you’re in the mountains for example like in the Appalachian Mountains, is thunder heard more easily from further away in the mountains rather than if you aren’t in the mountains?
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Why it doesn’t always rain with lightning and thunder when it’s hot [duplicate]
Thunderstorms happen after a period of warm weather. There are times though in the summer after it’s been warm for a while and even after it was 95 degrees Fahrenheit, the thunderstorms they predicted ...
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How do thunderstorms generate ionospheric potential?
In all the explanations of how global electric circuit on Earth works, I've always encountered statements like "thunderstorms generate ionospheric potential" (which is about 250 kV).
E.g. here: https:...
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Why do clouds have ceilings and bases?
What is the point called when water can not rise above or visually seem to have a ceiling in the atmosphere? What makes that point ideal?
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What percentage of cumulonimbus clouds create lightning?
I understand that cumulonimbus clouds can create lightning, but do not understand how many of them create lightning. I would assume that most multi-cell systems would have lightning, while single ...
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Why do nearby thunderstorms move in different directions?
The image below from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology shows several thunderstorms in southeast Queensland today and the directions they are expected to move.
I'm surprised how different these ...
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What is the loudest thunder ever recorded (dB) at ground level and where did it occur?
Sound travels fastest through warm air and conditions such as temperature inversions can help to amplify the sound of thunder (source). Conversely, during a thundersnow event the falling, and ...
user11318
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Energy Released From Thunderstorms
I'm a flight instructor looking for a better way to drive home the dangers related to flying in and around thunderstorms (TS). The FAA has mountains of operational guidance for airmen regarding TS ...
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Photo of sprites in a clear dark sky, how is this possible?
above x2: Photos by David Finlay, from here.
The BBC news article Rare 'sprites' photographed beside Southern Lights shows photographs by the Australian photographer David Finlay. They are remarkably ...
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Why is thunder and lightning rare, even though it rains frequently?
Why in some places (for example Dublin, Ireland) the thunder and lightning is such a rare thing even though it rains so frequently?
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What is the best way to stay safe while photographing lightning storms?
Occasionally, I go out with my camera and tripod and capture cumulonimbus clouds from distance. Sometimes I am worried when I hear thunder that I could be hit by a lightning bolt. I have seen several "...
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Why don't lightning strikes cause a lot of injury or damage to property?
We hear about people being injured or killed, or property being damaged or destroyed, by flash floods all the time. Or by straight line winds. Or by hail. Or by tornadoes. Why not lightning?
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Snow thunderstorms
So why are snow thunderstorms so rare? I researched a bit and it said that it is because there is less moisture in the air. But the percentage of thunderstorms while raining seems much higher than the ...
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Are there places with rain and snow but no lightning and thunder?
I've been in Ukraine (Kiev) in the winter, and this winter was snowy and rainy but still I've never seen or heard neither lightning nor thunders there. What is the explanation for that?
I thought ...
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How are lightning and thunderstorm intensity linked?
I have lightning data that contains individual strikes and their location, time, polarity, amplitude and type (cloud-to-ground, intracloud). I am trying to develop some metrics that will help me ...
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Could a large burst of super-heated or super-cooled air cause tornadoes to fall apart?
We know how tornadoes form: when areas of hot air and cold air mingle, causing rotation. We can even see them form on the radar.
Yet, for all of our technology, we can't stop such events from ...
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Using Range Height Indicator scan of radar
I am learning about the several modes of radar that are used to study structure of thunder storms and mesoscale systems. There are three modes of radar scans as documented here - Weather Radar Systems
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St. Elmo's Fire not dangerous?
I know that St. Elmo's Fire is a form of plasma that occurs during thunderstorms that is similar to lightning because it is formed by a difference in charges.
But why isn't it dangerous if St. Elmo's ...
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How far away can you see a thunderstorm?
At 9:30 PM on July 13, 2015, I was looking due south from Oshkosh, WI. I saw very clearly a large storm with 1-2 lightning strikes per second. I could see cloud-to-cloud lightning traces, as well as ...
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Are lightning storms more common at night?
I have, to my knowledge, seen far more lightning strikes and heard more thunderclaps at night than I have during the day.
Are lightning storms more common at night, or are they just more noticeable ...
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Do tornadoes have eyes?
In the movie Into the Storm (2014) near the end, storm chaser Pete sees the eye of a massive tornado.
In 1928 (real life), Will Keller was in his barn when a huge tornado passed through. He reported ...
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How can you explain this storm phenomenon?
It's been a while since this happened, so I don't have many details. About 3 years ago, we had a popup storm here in Louisville. It was completely unexpected and unpredicted. That's not the strange ...
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What data does a skilled meteorologist look at to predict thunderstorms?
An uneducated layman like me would just look at CAPE numbers and make rough guesses on possible thunderstorms. In a related but non-duplicate question, vertical wind shear is discussed.
If we are ...
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Is there a convenient place to get vertical wind shear info for my location?
Now that it's thunderstorm season here in New Hampshire, it would be nice to be able to find out what the vertical wind shear is like at the altitudes that affect thunderstorm formation, to guess ...
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Propagation of sound after lightning
In an area of frequent thunderstorms, I notice a 'crack or whoosh' sound if a strike is nearby but little or no thunder. Yet I can hear for 30 seconds or so after a distant flash when the thunder ...
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