#Purple lightning storm series

If enough instability is present in the atmosphere, this process will continue long enough for cumulonimbus clouds to form and produce lightning and thunder. When the moisture condenses, it releases energy known as latent heat of condensation, which allows the rising packet of air to cool less than the cooler surrounding air continuing the cloud's ascension. The moist air rises, and, as it does so, it cools and some of the water vapor in that rising air condenses. Clouds form as relatively warmer air, carrying moisture, rises within cooler air. Warm air has a lower density than cool air, so warmer air rises upwards and cooler air will settle at the bottom (this effect can be seen with a hot air balloon). Life cycle Stages of a thunderstorm's life Beyond the Earth's atmosphere, thunderstorms have also been observed on the planets of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and, probably, Venus. Past civilizations held various myths concerning thunderstorms and their development as late as the 18th century. Several means are used to study thunderstorms: weather radar, weather stations, and video photography. Dry thunderstorms, with no precipitation, can cause the outbreak of wildfires from the heat generated from the cloud-to-ground lightning that accompanies them. Mesoscale convective systems formed by favorable vertical wind shear within the tropics and subtropics can be responsible for the development of hurricanes. Supercell thunderstorms are the strongest and most severe.

There are three types of thunderstorms: single-cell, multi-cell, and supercell. Stronger thunderstorm cells are capable of producing tornadoes and waterspouts. Damage that results from thunderstorms is mainly inflicted by downburst winds, large hailstones, and flash flooding caused by heavy precipitation. Thunderstorms are responsible for the development and formation of many severe weather phenomena, which can be potentially hazardous. Thunderstorms can form and develop in any geographic location but most frequently within the mid-latitude, where warm, moist air from tropical latitudes collides with cooler air from polar latitudes. The falling droplets create a downdraft as it pulls cold air with it, and this cold air spreads out at the Earth's surface, occasionally causing strong winds that are commonly associated with thunderstorms. As the droplets fall, they collide with other droplets and become larger. Any precipitation falls the long distance through the clouds towards the Earth's surface. As the rising air reaches its dew point temperature, water vapor condenses into water droplets or ice, reducing pressure locally within the thunderstorm cell. As the warm, moist air moves upward, it cools, condenses, and forms a cumulonimbus cloud that can reach heights of over 20 kilometres (12 mi). However, some kind of cloud forcing, whether it is a front, shortwave trough, or another system is needed for the air to rapidly accelerate upward. Thunderstorms result from the rapid upward movement of warm, moist air, sometimes along a front. While most thunderstorms move with the mean wind flow through the layer of the troposphere that they occupy, vertical wind shear sometimes causes a deviation in their course at a right angle to the wind shear direction. Some of the most persistent severe thunderstorms, known as supercells, rotate as do cyclones.

Strong or severe thunderstorms include some of the most dangerous weather phenomena, including large hail, strong winds, and tornadoes.

#Purple lightning storm series

Thunderstorms may line up in a series or become a rainband, known as a squall line. 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. Thunderstorms occur in a type of cloud known as a cumulonimbus. Relatively weak thunderstorms are sometimes called thundershowers. Problems playing this file? See media help.Ī 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.