GEOL 303 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Ice Crystals, Jet Stream, Cumulonimbus Cloud
Document Summary
Thunderstorms are associated with towering cumulus clouds that generate heavy rainfall, thunder, lighting, and occasionally hail. California cost has the least number of thunderstorms in the u. s. but states on the gulf of mexico can have as much as 25% of their days as thunderstorms. Updrafts but no rain as tall thunderhead builds to 30-40,000 feat. Mature stage - tall cloud becomes heavy with moisture. Ice crystals and large water drops become too heavy to be supported by updrafts. Dissipating stage - end of storm comes with cooling due to continued precipitation and influx of cold dry air into upper part of cloud. Only downdrafts with rain becoming lighter and clouds evaporating. Hail storms require the tall cumulus clouds typical of thunderstorms. However, only a few thunderstorms can generate hail. More frequent in the great plains and in the midwest than along the gulf coast.
