How do you explain thunderstorms to children?
Thunderstorm Features Thunderstorms happen when hot, moist air rises quickly to cooler parts of the atmosphere. There, the air cools, and clouds and rain form. Lightning, which is a form of electricity, develops inside the clouds. As the lightning heats the air, it causes it to expand.
How do you explain thunderstorms?
thunderstorm, a violent short-lived weather disturbance that is almost always associated with lightning, thunder, dense clouds, heavy rain or hail, and strong gusty winds. Thunderstorms arise when layers of warm, moist air rise in a large, swift updraft to cooler regions of the atmosphere.
What causes thunder storm?
Thunderstorms form when warm, moist air rises into cold air. The warm air becomes cooler, which causes moisture, called water vapor, to form small water droplets – a process called condensation. The cooled air drops lower in the atmosphere, warms and rises again.
What causes thunder?
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.
What are some fun facts about thunderstorms?
All thunderstorms produce lightning, which is one of the top three causes of weather related deaths in the US. In fact, lightning kills approximately 50 people every year. Thunderstorms can also produce hail, tornadoes and floods. In some cases, hail can be the size of baseballs and travel at speeds of 100 mph.
What causes thunderstorm?
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.
What is a thunderstorm called?
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. Relatively weak thunderstorms are sometimes called thundershowers.
What are 3 facts about thunderstorms?
What does a thunderstorm do?
Despite their small size, all thunderstorms are dangerous. Every thunderstorm produces lightning, which kills more people each year than tornadoes. Heavy rain from thunderstorms can lead to flash flooding. Strong winds, hail, and tornadoes are also dangers associated with some thunderstorms.
How do you describe thunder?
Thunder is the loud noise that comes right after lightning. It also can refer to a loud, booming sound, or mean to move heavily but quickly. Thunder is made up of the rumbles and cracks accompanying lightning during a thunderstorm.
What is thunderstorm simple words?
What is thunder sound called?
The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning produces rapid expansion of the air in the path of a lightning bolt. In turn, this expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave, often referred to as a “thunderclap” or “peal of thunder”. The study of thunder is known as brontology.