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  1. Thunderstorm - Wikipedia

    Thunderstorms are responsible for the development and formation of many severe weather phenomena, which can be potentially hazardous. Damage that results from thunderstorms is …

  2. Severe Weather 101: Thunderstorm Basics

    How does a thunderstorm form? Three basic ingredients are required for a thunderstorm to form: moisture, rising unstable air (air that keeps rising when given a nudge), and a lifting …

  3. Thunderstorm | Definition, Types, Structure, & Facts | Britannica

    Oct 2, 2025 · 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. …

  4. How Thunderstorms Form - Center for Science Education

    With an updraft, downdraft, and rain, the cloud is now called a cumulonimbus cloud and the cycling of air up and down is called a thunderstorm cell. The moving air within the cloud builds …

  5. Thunderstorms & Lightning - Ready.gov

    Thunderstorms are common and can be dangerous. They can bring intense wind, flash flooding, hail and dangerous lightning. Know your area’s risk for thunderstorms. In most places they can …

  6. What causes thunderstorms? How storms (and lightning) form.

    Aug 1, 2023 · Rapidly rising air causes thunderstorms. The cloud eventually rises upward to temperatures below freezing, creating ice particles. These ice particles may collide and …

  7. Thunderstorm Definition - National Weather Service

    Thunderstorm - A rain-bearing cloud that also produces lightning. All thunderstorms are dangerous. Every thunderstorm produces lightning. In the United States, an average of 300 …

  8. Thunderstorms - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Apr 14, 2023 · It is estimated that there are as many as 40,000 thunderstorm occurrences each day world-wide. This translates into an astounding 14.6 million occurrences annually!

  9. Thunderstorm - Lightning, Rain, Wind | Britannica

    Oct 2, 2025 · True cloud-to-cloud lightning is rare because most lightning flashes occur within a cloud. The first lightning flash in a thunderstorm is typically an intracloud discharge. When an …

  10. THUNDERSTORMS - National Weather Service

    The difference between a thunderstorm and a severe thunderstorm is the wind field. For a severe thunderstorm, the ingredients that must be present are moisture, instability, lift and strong …