ENVIRSC 1A03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Vertical Draft, Lightning, Squall
8 Nov 2015
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Thunderstorms: storms with vertical motions sufficient to cause lightning and thunder; categorized by cumulonimbus clouds. Dissipation stage: downdrafts inhibit convection and release latent heat. What is a severe thunderstorm: winds near 100km/h, hail is larger than 19mm, production of a tornado. What are multicell thunderstorms: made up of multiple, organized thunderstorm cells, squall line, mesoscale convective complex. What is a squall line: line of thunderstorms of differing lengths, usually occurs ahead of approaching cold front. What are lightning and thunder: lightning: electrical discharge producing light from cloud to ground or cloud to cloud, thunder: sound of rapid expansion and rising of cooled air. What is sheet lightning: light diffused by cloud. What is cloud to ground lightning: only 20% of all lightning. What is a tornado: rapidly rotating column of air, from base of thunderstorm to ground, extreme low pressure in center of circulation, rotates counter clockwise.
