Updraft and downdraftdowndraft: Quick Facts

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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.

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.

Examine how rapid warm-air updrafts form cumulonimbus thunderclouds that produce heavy rains and lightning

How does a tornado form?

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