thunderstorm: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 13, 2026

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Photos and Videos

Diagram of a thunderstorm showing a towering cumulonimbus cloud with labeled features including warm updrafts rising, cool downdrafts falling, precipitation at the base, and an anvil-shaped top spreading near the tropopause. Colored arrows indicate the movement of warm and cool air within the storm. A faint scale on the right marks cloud height in kilometers.

Thematic world map showing the frequency of thunderstorms by region, with color shading indicating average days per year of thunderstorm occurrence. Highest frequencies-marked in red and orange-are concentrated in central Africa, northern South America, and parts of Southeast Asia, while most other regions experience fewer thunderstorms, shown in lighter greens and yellows.

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Diagram showing a hail-producing thunderstorm with arrows illustrating cold downdrafts and warm updrafts, the pathway of hailstones within the cloud, and cross-sections of hailstone growth from a small spherical embryo to a large, layered hailstone.

Illustration of a tornadic thunderstorm showing a large thundercloud with labeled wind patterns at different levels, a central updraft, and a tornado forming beneath a wall cloud. The right side details the tornado structure, including the condensation funnel, debris fountain, and airflow directions.

Illustration of a thunderstorm microburst showing cold air rapidly descending from a storm cloud, impacting the ground, and spreading outwards with strong winds. An inset diagram details the vortex ring formed at ground level, with wind speeds reaching up to 270 kilometers per hour.

Diagram illustrating the evolution of a gust front during a thunderstorm, showing warm updrafts and cool downdrafts within a large cumulonimbus cloud, with arrows indicating airflow. The right side details four stages: formative, early mature, late mature, and dissipating, each with airflow patterns as the storm progresses.

electrical charge distribution in a thunderstorm

Discover how rapid updrafts of warm air form cumulonimbus clouds resulting in heavy rains and lightning

Observe the density of lightning flashes in a typical year with its highest rate in South America, Africa, and Australasia

Know about the development of a thunderstorm prediction model that can run on a laptop

What Causes Thunder and Lightning?

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Topics

lightning supercell storm organized storm air-mass thunderstorm hook echo blue jet isolated thunderstorm multiple-cell thunderstorm squall line mesocyclone Squall whirlwind tropical storm Windstorm Cyclone Ice storm Haboob Blizzard Saint Elmo’s fire 20 Deadliest Storms in History

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