Thunderstorms-Rachel

Hey Meghan!
I was watching the weather channel the today and you will not believe what I came across; a huge thunderstorm was coming our way! Well that got me thinking, how many people really know what a thunderstorm is or how it is formed? A thunderstorm can seem like an ordinary run of the mill rainstorm, but there is so much more to it. Don’t worry I will explain all of this to you and soon after reading all my blogs, you’ll be a thunderstorm expert!

First of all you should know the basics of a thunderstorm. A thunderstorm is unlike a regular rainstorm because it has lightning. Lightning, caused by the building of electrical charges, makes the thunder that scared us when we were little. Did you know that not all thunderstorms involve rain? Some thunderstorms can be as dry as a bone, but others leave everything soaking wet. The duration of a thunderstorm is 30 to 60 minutes and the diameter of a thunderstorm can range from a couple of miles to hundreds of miles.

Thunderstorms form in humid and warm areas, like where I am right now in Florida. As warm air rises into the sky it starts to cool and the air goes back to the ground and can be a subtle regular wind or an extremely damaging wind. Soon our thunderstorm will be here and who knows what damage it will do to our area. In all, 10 percent of thunderstorms are considered to be severe. When a thunderstorm is considered to be severe it either has to create three quarter inch in diameter hail, 58 mph winds or higher, or a tornado!

There are lots of clouds out there, but a thunderstorm involves cumulonimbus clouds that look like the shape of an anvil. These special clouds in a thunderstorm form as air rises making a cloud, and the top of the cloud disperses out making an “anvil” shape. The wind speed during a thunder storm ranges, from small speeds to large speeds. Like I told you before when a thunderstorm’s wind speed reach 58 mph it is considered severe. Air Masses can generate a thunderstorm. For example, tropical air masses create less severe storms. During a thunderstorm air pressure drops. Dew points can tell you when a thunderstorm will be likely. If the dew point is in the 40s, you won’t have a thunderstorm. If the dew point in the 50s, there is a slight chance of thunderstorms. If the dew point is in the 60s, you have a greater chance of thunderstorms. If the dew point is in the 70s, you will most definitely have a thunderstorm. As you already know, lightning strikes the ground during a thunderstorm, but did you know the lightning can be anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000°F?
As you can see, I am not completely helpless when it comes to the topic of thunderstorms. If you want to learn more about thunderstorms, click here for a website that can give you some extra info. I have to go now because the weather channel is doing a report on the storm that is headed towards me in Florida and I want to hear more details about the storm. As soon as I can I will tell you more about the storm that’s planned to hit any minute now. Don’t worry about me!

Love,
Rachel