Thunderstorm Terminology

Thunderstorm — Updraft — Downdraft Cold front — Cumulonimbus cloud Latent heat — Isolated thunderstorms Cloudburst — Precipitation — Hail

Thunderstorm lightning, thunder, rain, and dense clouds; may include heavy rain, hail, and strong winds

Updraft an upward flow of air

Downdraft a downward flow of air

Cold front leading edge of a mass of heavy, colder air that is advancing

Cumulonimbus giant clouds piled on top of each other; top cloud spreads out in the shape of an anvil

heat released when water vapor condenses; is Latent heat the main driving energy of thunderstorms

Isolated short-lived storms with light winds; usually do thunderstorms not produce violent weather on the ground

Cloudburst sudden and short-lived heavy rainfall that usually occurs in a small area

any moisture that falls from clouds and Precipitation reaches the ground

Hail balls of ice about .2 inch (5 mm) to 6 inches (15 cm) that sometimes accompany storms

WriteBonnieRose.com 1 Thunderstorm Terminology

Dry thunderstorm — Thunder — Lightning Bead lightning — Ball lightning — Microburst Multiple-cell storms — Supercell Mesocyclone — Tornado

Dry thunderstorm a storm where all raindrops evaporate while falling and none reach the ground

sound heard when lightning heats the air so Thunder strongly and quickly it produces shock waves

Lightning discharge of electricity after electric charges on particles in clouds grow large enough

Bead lightning infrequent; looks like a string of bright spots; also called chain lightning

Ball lightning rare; looks like a bright ball and occurs near the ground; also called globe lightning

winds that hit the ground, fan out, and cause Microburst a sudden change in wind direction or speed

storms where one cell grows stronger, then Multiple-cell storms weakens while another takes over; repeats

Supercell a large, dangerous, and powerful thunderstorm that contains a mesocyclone

Mesocyclone an air mass in a supercell that rotates rapidly

Tornado a violent windstorm where destructive winds swirl, often in a funnel shape, over land

WriteBonnieRose.com 2 Thunderstorm: lightning, thunder, rain, and dense clouds; may include heavy rain, hail, and strong winds

Thunderstorm:/lightning, thunder,/rain,/and/////// dense/clouds;/may/////// include/heavy/rain,/hail,/ and/strong/winds//////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 3 Updraft: an upward flow of air

Updraft:/an/upward//// flow/of/air/////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 4 Downdraft: a downward flow of air Downdraft:/a//////////// downward/flow/of/air/// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

WriteBonnieRose.com 5 Cold front: leading edge of a mass of heavy, colder air that is advancing

Cold/front:/leading///// edge/of/a/mass/of///// heavy,/colder/air/that// is/advancing///////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 6 Cumulonimbus cloud: giant clouds piled on top of each other; top spreads out in the shape of an anvil

Cumulonimbus/cloud://// giant/clouds/piled/on/// top/of/each/other;/top/ spreads/out/in/the////// shape/of/an/anvil/////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 7 Latent heat: heat released when water vapor condenses; is the main driving energy of thunderstorms

Latent/heat:/heat/////// released/when/water//// vapor/condenses;/is/the/ main/driving/energy/of/ thunderstorms/////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 8 Isolated thunderstorms: short-lived storms with light winds; usually do not produce violent weather on the ground

Isolated/thunderstorms:/ short-lived/storms/with/ light/winds;/usually/do// not/produce/violent///// weather/on/the/ground/ /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 9 Cloudburst: sudden and short-lived heavy rainfall that usually occurs in a small area

Cloudburst:/sudden///// and/short-lived/heavy// rainfall/that/usually//// occurs/in/a/small/area// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 10 Precipitation: any moisture that falls from clouds and reaches the ground

Precipitation:/any/////// moisture/that/falls////// from/clouds/and//////// reaches/the/ground///// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 11 Hail: balls of ice about .2 inch (5 mm) to 6 inches (15 cm) that sometimes accompany storms

Hail:/balls/of/ice//////// about/.2/inch/(5/mm)/// to/6/inches/(15/cm)///// that/sometimes////////// accompany/storms////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 12 Dry thunderstorm: a storm where all raindrops evaporate while falling and none reach the ground

Dry/thunderstorm:/a//// storm/where/all////////// raindrops/evaporate//// while/falling/and/none// reach/the/ground/////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 13 Thunder: sound heard when lightning heats the air so strongly and quickly it produces shock waves

Thunder:/sound/heard/// when/lightning/heats//// the/air/so/strongly/and/ quickly/it/produces////// shock/waves////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 14 Lightning: discharge of electricity after electric charges on particles in clouds grow large enough

Lightning:/discharge/of/ electricity/after///////// electric/charges/on///// particles/in/clouds/////// grow/large/enough////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 15 Bead lightning: infrequent; looks like a string of bright spots; also called chain lightning

Bead/lightning:////////// infrequent;/looks/like/a/ string/of/bright/spots;// also/called/chain//////// lightning///////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 16 Ball lightning: rare; looks like a bright ball and occurs near the ground; also called globe lightning

Ball/lightning:/rare;///// looks/like/a/bright/ball// and/occurs/near/the//// ground;/also/called///// globe/lightning////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 17 Microburst: winds that hit the ground, fan out, and cause a sudden change in wind direction or speed

Microburst:/winds/that// hit/the/ground,/fan/out, and/cause/a/sudden//// change/in/wind////////// direction/or/speed////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 18 Multiple-cell storms: storms where one cell grows stronger, then weakens while another takes over; repeats

Multiple-cell/storms://// storms/where/one/cell/// grows/stronger,/then//// weakens/while/another/ takes/over;/repeats///// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 19 Supercell: a large, dangerous, and powerful thunderstorm that contains a mesocyclone

Supercell:/a/large,/////// dangerous,/and////////// powerful/thunderstorm/ that/contains/a////////// mesocyclone///////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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WriteBonnieRose.com 20 Mesocyclone: an air mass in a supercell that rotates rapidly

Mesocyclone:/an/air//// mass/in/a/supercell///// that/rotates/rapidly//// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

WriteBonnieRose.com 21 Tornado: a violent windstorm where destructive winds swirl, often in a funnel shape, over land

Tornado:/a/violent/////// windstorm/where///////// destructive/winds/swirl,// often/in/a/funnel/////// shape,/over/land//////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////

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