13: Thunderstorm Fundamentals

Atmospheric Processes and Phenomena · LibreTexts

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    From LibreTexts, under CC BY-SA 4.0, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.

    Alison Nugent and Shintaro Russell

    Learning Objectives

    By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

    • Draw a diagram and label parts of a thunderstorm
    • Recognize that thunderstorms are sometimes part of a mid-latitude cyclone
    • Describe the importance of updraft separation from the downdraft and precipitation portion of a thunderstorm
    • Identify a few types of thunderstorms (airmass, MCC, squall line, supercell, etc.)
    • Discuss a few favorable conditions for thunderstorm formation
    • Describe the importance of wind shear for thunderstorms
    • Identify LFC and EL on a skew-T as well as CAPE and CIN and connect them to thunderstorm characteristics
    • Compute updraft velocity from CAPE

    • 13.1: Introduction
      This page discusses thunderstorms as intense convective clouds reaching from the boundary layer to the tropopause, often resulting in extreme weather events such as heavy rain, hail, lightning, strong winds, and tornadoes. It emphasizes that although thunderstorms are commonly associated with cumulonimbus clouds, not every cumulonimbus cloud is classified as a thunderstorm.
    • 13.2: Thunderstorms
      This page covers the formation and development of thunderstorms, highlighting the importance of wind speed and direction with altitude, particularly wind shear, which helps prolong their lifespan. It outlines the life cycle of thunderstorms and distinguishes between airmass and severe thunderstorms, the latter needing wind shear and often resulting in complex structures like squall lines and supercells.
    • 13.3: Atmospheric Instability and Thunderstorms New Page
      This page explains the importance of atmospheric soundings, particularly Skew-T log-P diagrams, in predicting thunderstorms. It defines key stability indicators: lifted condensation level (LCL), level of free convection (LFC), equilibrium level (EL), convective available potential energy (CAPE), and convective inhibition (CIN). Each indicator's relevance is discussed, such as LCL indicating cloud base and CAPE relating to updraft velocity.

    13: Thunderstorm Fundamentals is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.