1. Thunderstorms

2. Warm Up
Write in 3-5 sentences the conditions and qualities of a thunderstorm from your own experience. (When do you see them occur, why do you think they occur, etc)

3. What is a thunderstorm? J Warm, moist air rises into cold air
Water vapor condenses
Forms cumulonimbus clouds
Presence of lightning, thunder, and rain
Possible tornadoes and hail J

4. Life Cycle of A Thunderstorm Cell
Precipitation becomes heavy enough to fall through the updraft and reach the ground. This creates a downdraft.
Air rises and a cumulus cloud forms. This is called updraft. Prevents precipitation from reaching the ground.
Downdraft weakens the updraft, which cuts off the supply of moist air to the cloud. The cloud evaporates. J

5. Lighting J The rising moisture and cold temperatures freeze
Frozen part becomes negatively charged
Unfrozen parts become positively charged
Charges have an electric field, conductive path allows it to reach earth J

6. J

7. Thunder J Rapid heating of the air by the lightning
As well as rapid cooling
Sound waves are created
There is never thunder without lightning J

8. Categorization of Thunderstorms

9. Ordinary Thunderstorms
Common thunderstorms last up to an hour
Rain and possible small hail clouds up to 12 km high E

10. Severe Thunderstorms Very dangerous Hail the size of baseballs
Strong winds
Intense rain,
Tornadoes
Can last many hours
Clouds up to 18 km high. E

11. Types of Thunderstorms

12. Single Cell Thunderstorms
Rare
Occur randomly
Lasts for no more than 30 minutes
Ordinary
Difficult to predict E

13. Multi-Cell Cluster Thunderstorms
Most common type of thunderstorms
Lasts a few hours
Produce hail
Generates weak tornadoes E

14. Multi Cell Line Thunderstorms
Line of thunderstorms that contribute to each other
Weak tornadoes
Hail the size of golf balls
Early detection and prediction is possible E

15. Super-Cell Thunderstorms
Greatest threat to life and property
Strong to violent tornadoes
Rare occurrence E

16. MOISTURE
RAPIDLY RISING WARM AIR V

17. V

18. V

19. V

20. Why do you think that thunderstorms occur in certain areas/certain times?
What is the relationship between thunderstorms and location? V

21. Why in the summer? V

22. Thunderstorm Picture Links