Thunder Storms produce thunder and lightning, hail, strong winds, tornadoes, and flash flooding. Though they move across the landscape affecting miles of land, they affect a relatively small area at one time. Most people think thunderstorms are harmless but in fact ALL are dangerous and should not be taken lightly.

• A Preparedness Guide
• Thunderstorm Safety
• Severe Storms
• NOAA

Florida and the Rocky Mountains receive more lightning strikes in the United States than any other area in the country. Storms are triggered in Florida because its peninsular shape is the perfect environment for air circulation and ocean-land heat contrast, a lightning storms best friend. The Rocky Mountains foothills and High Plains have moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico, a high altitude, and elevated heating. These three things alone mean nothing but when combined it makes the perfect environment for thunder and lightning.

• Lightning FAQ
• Thunder and Lightning!

Hail

What is hail? Hail forms when a thunderstorm’s updrafts carry raindrops up into the atmosphere with very cold areas they freeze into ice. Supercooled water drops collide and cause hailstones to grow. These stones continue to grow because the thunderstorm’s strong updraft keeps sending the stones upward to the top of a cloud. As this happens the hailstones keep growing bigger. When the hailstone gets too heavy for the updraft to keep holding up in the cloud it drops to the earth.

• Hail Basics
• Hailstorms
• 1970 Hailstone

High Winds

Depending on the intensity of strong winds they can cause millions of dollars in property damages along with injuries and death if proper shelter is not taken. Any measurement of wind over 50 knots is categorized as high winds. These high winds leave nothing untouched in their path making trees, broken branches, signs, cars, chairs, patio umbrellas, and anything not tied down, become weapons.

• Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Damage-Potential Scale
• An Arctic Case Study
• High Winds Determine Hurricanes

Tornadoes and Hurricanes

Over the past many years, the amount of destruction caused from by tornadoes and hurricanes reaches in the billions of dollars in damaged property. When a death results from one of these killers, it far outweighs the loss of personal belonging. A death makes the already difficult task of rebuilding their lives an even more difficult process. Technology has come a long way over the past 50 years, but still, depending on the type of storm and amount of warning, the death tolls from these storms continues to climb. Scientists work hard to develop the most sophisticated weather prediction equipment, though these are state-of-the-art and having saved countless lives, there are no full proof warning systems in existence today.

Tornado Characteristics

• Occurs over land
• Violent high winds
• Destructive
• Long funnel-shaped cloud

Hurricane Characteristics

• Occurs over ocean water
• Tropical and cyclonic
• Violent high winds of 74 mph (or higher) according to the Beaufort Scale

How Tornadoes Form

Web Weather For Kids

Twister Pictures

Hurricanes

Tropical Storms

What Are Hurricanes?

Hurricane Live News Report

Tornadoes