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Home / IAS Preparation / Thunderstorm And Its Types

Thunderstorm - Stages and Types of Thunderstorm!

Last Updated on Dec 07, 2023
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A thunderstorm is an electric storm which is also responsible for lightning. Lightning strikes during a scattered thunderstorm cause a significantly audible effect in the atmosphere of the Earth. Thunderstorms can start and grow in any location, but they are most often in the mid-latitudes, where frigid air from the poles and warm, moist air from the tropics combine. India has witnessed approximately more than 16 million thunderstorms to date.

Source: National Weather Service, Govt. of US

In this article, you will learn the meaning of thunderstorms, their formation, causes and types of thunderstorms and lightning, which will help you with your geography preparation for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the GS paper-1 syllabus.

Download Geography UPSC Notes with this linked article!

Download Thunderstorm – Geography UPSC Notes PDF here!

What is a Thunderstorm?

A thunderstorm is a transient local weather system that is characterized by the presence of lightning and thunder. It is most commonly associated with warm, humid conditions and can produce heavy rain, hail, and strong winds. Thunderstorms typically form in the afternoon and evening. It can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

Study in detail about Natural Disaster for UPSC!

How are Thunderstorms predicted?

It is impossible to forecast a scattered thunderstorm over a very specific place. Neither is the precise time that it is most likely to occur. Meteorologists use a multitude of statistics to forecast thunderstorms. Using the output from Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) forecast models is the best technique for the amateur enthusiast to determine whether thunderstorms are likely.

What safety precautions should be taken during thunderstorms?

The following precautions should be taken during thunderstorms:

  • In a storm, people are encouraged to go inside.
  • Risks can rise if you move under a tree or lie flat on the ground.
  • Electrical fixtures, wires, metal, and water must be avoided indoors.

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Formation of Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are produced by cumulonimbus clouds, which develop when warm, humid air rises or moves quickly.

  • Cumulonimbus clouds can occasionally form at heights of over 20 kilometres, and they do so when warm, moist air is forced upward.
  • The creation of cumulonimbus clouds is the result of the cooling and condensation that occurs when this warm, moist air goes upward.
  • When the rising air reaches its dew point temperature, water vapour condenses into water droplets or ice.
  • As a result, the pressure locally within the thunderstorm cell decreases.
  • Any precipitation that does fall on Earth does so via a long path through the clouds.
  • When tiny droplets that are descending are hit with other droplets, larger droplets are created.
  • Droplets falling to the ground produce a downdraft as they drag cold air behind them; this cold air then spreads out over the Earth’s surface. Because of this, thunderstorms frequently produce powerful winds.

Stages of Thunderstorms

There are 3 stages in the formation of a thunderstorm. The three stages are listed below:

Cumulus stage

  • During the daytime, the ground is intensely heated as a result of solar insolation.
  • A low pressure develops as a result of an air parcel being lifted vigorously (convention).
  • As a result of the low pressure, air from the surroundings rushes in to fill the space.
  • Strong, wet, hot air convection causes a towering cumulonimbus cloud to form.

Mature stage

  • This stage is characterized by a strong updraft of rising warm air, which leads to the development of larger, higher-rising clouds.
  • Later on, a downdraft brings rain and frigid air to Earth.
  • A strong wind gust announces the approach of a thunderstorm. A significant downdraft is what is generating this wind.
  • The updraft and downdraft determine the path of the thunderstorm. Most of the time, the course is unpredictable.

Dissipating stage

  • When clouds rise to a level where the temperature is below freezing, hail forms, and the storms that follow bring hail. During the process, there is a lot of rain.
  • Within minutes, the storm dissipates, and clear skies start to prevail.

Study in detail about Clouds with this linked article!

Various Types of Thunderstorms

There are two types of thunderstorms. First, which are based on types of origin and second, based on life span. A brief explanation of types of thunderstorms and their formation are listed below;

Based on Origin

Thunderstorms based on origin can be further classified into three types: Convectional, orographic, and frontal. A brief explanation of the classification based on origin is listed below:

Convectional Thunderstorms

A convectional thunderstorm is also called a thermal thunderstorm. It is caused by the intense heating of the ground during summer.

Orographic Thunderstorm

  • Warm, moist air packages are driven upward when they pass over a mountain barrier, forming cumulonimbus clouds that bring heavy precipitation to the windward side.
  • These thunderstorms are created When air is forced up a mountainside.
  • Only on the windward side of a mountain range can one encounter this kind of thunderstorm.
  • Orographic “Cloud bursts” are common in Mawsynram, Cherrapunji, and Jammu & Kashmir.

Frontal Thunderstorm

  • Frontal thunderstorms are which are connected to a front.
  • It only includes those which are brought on by convection brought on by frontal lifting.
  • The motions of air masses that produce thunderstorms are particularly frequent around cold fronts.
  • The warmer air of the warm front is forced upward as the colder, denser air pushes beneath it.
  • While frontal thunderstorms are less intense, thermal thunderstorms are more widespread.

Based on Life Span

Thunderstorms based on life span can be further classified into four types: Single-Cell, Multi-Cell, Squall Line and Supercell. A brief explanation about the classification based on life span is listed below:

The Single-Cell

  • Single-cell thunderstorms are brief, weak storm systems that form and break up in under an hour.
  • They are typically propelled by warmth on a steamy summer afternoon.
  • For a brief time, single-cell storms can produce lightning and torrential rain (quite prevalent in India during the summer, especially in April and May).
  • In Kerala, they are referred to as “Mango Showers,” and in Karnataka, as “Blossom Showers.”

The Multi-Cell

  • The development of extra updrafts at the leading edge of rain-cooled air defines a multi-cell thunderstorm (the gust front).
  • The system as a whole can last for several hours, but individual cells only last for 30 to 60 minutes.
  • Multi-cell storms may produce hail, strong winds, brief tornadoes, and/or flooding.

The Squall Line

  • Long bands of thunderstorms known as squall lines can extend hundreds of kilometres.
  • In the Midwest, these lines are quite frequent and frequently appear before a powerful cold front.
  • Devastating straight-line winds are far more dangerous than torrential downpours, hail, lightning, or tornadoes.
  • This may indicate winds that are fierce and destructive and can reach 70 mph.

The Supercell

  • A super-cell is a storm that lasts more than an hour and is very well organized.
  • It feeds off an updraft, which is an air current rising but that is slanted and whirling.
  • Supercells are the primary source of powerful, massive tornadoes.

Also, read the article on Types of Rainfall with the link!

What are Downbursts?

A downburst is a powerful wind system that blows radially, or in straight lines, from the place of impact at the surface level and originates from a point source above. There are two types of downbursts: microbursts and macrobursts.

Microburst

Within a thunderstorm, a microburst is a small, confined column of sinking air (downdraft) that is often no larger than 2.5 miles in diameter. On the surface, microbursts can seriously harm the environment and, in certain cases, it can even endanger life.

Macroburst

A macroburst has a horizontal extent greater than 212 miles (4 km) in diameter, making it larger than a microburst. Additionally, although not quite as powerful as a microburst, a macroburst can still produce gusts of up to 130 mph.

Also, read about the 10 Worst Natural Disasters here!

Thunderstorm & Lightning
  • As the cumulonimbus cloud climbs upward at lower temperatures, water vapour condenses.
  • The water molecules are propelled upward by the heat produced during the process of the latent heat of condensation.
  • As the temperature gets closer to zero, water drops freeze into minute ice crystals.
  • They increase in bulk as they ascend, eventually becoming so heavy that they start to fall.
  • As a result, smaller ice crystals rise, and larger crystals fall throughout the system.
  • Ionization, the process by which an electron in an atom’s outer shell is peeled away, and the atom transforms into an ion, is the outcome of the ensuing collisions, which liberate electrons in a manner similar to the creation of electric sparks.
  • The liberated electrons’ movement causes more collisions and electrons to form, which starts a chain reaction.
  • The process causes the middle layer of the cloud to become negatively charged while the top layer of the cloud becomes positively charged.

Read more about the Geographical History of Earth here!

Thunderstorm Facts For UPSC
  • On Earth, the Venezuelan shoreline of Lake Maracaibo experiences the highest level of lightning activity.
  • As recorded, there are 28 lightning strikes per minute near the point where the Catatumbo River empties into Lake Maracaibo, a phenomenon known as the Beacon of Maracaibo or the Everlasting Storm.
  • The largest lake in South America, Lake Maracaibo, is exposed to winds due to the location’s terrain (by volume of water, Titicaca is the largest lake in South America).
  • As a result of its direct connection to the sea and larger surface area, Lake Maracaibo is surrounded by swampy plains. It is separated from the Gulf of Venezuela/Caribbean Sea by a fairly narrow strait.
  • High mountainsides into which air masses crash encircle the Maracaibo plain on three sides.
  • As the air is destabilised at the mountainsides by electrical charges created by the heat and moisture brought up from the swampy lowlands, thunderstorm activity characterized by nearly constant lightning activity within clouds occurs.

Conclusion

Lightning aids in accelerating the growth of plants. Nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere are affected by the heat from lightning. As a result, nitrates are formed. When diluted by rain, they act as a natural fertilizer and fall to the ground.

Another significant factor in the removal of air contaminants is lightning. These substances purge the air by interacting with contaminants like methane. These reactions result in the formation of molecules that dissolve in water or stick to surfaces.

Join the Geography Optional Course and prepare for the mains with the experts.

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Explain the formation of a thunderstorm. Also, discuss various types of thunderstorms.

For a detailed explanation, click here!

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More Articles for IAS Preparation

Thunderstorms- FAQs

A thunderstorm is an electric storm which is also responsible for lightning. Lightning strikes during a thunderstorm cause a significantly audible effect in the atmosphere of the Earth.

Thunderstorms are caused by layers of warm, moist air rising in a strong updraft to cooler areas of the atmosphere. At that location, the updraft's moisture condenses to create imposing cumulonimbus clouds and, eventually, precipitation.

Single-cell, Multicell, Squall cell, and Supercell are 4 types of thunderstorms.

The three stages in the formation of thunderstorms are Cumulus, Mature and Dissipating stages.

A thunderstorm is a disaster because it may result in Strong winds, tornadoes, hail, lightning, and heavy rainfall.

mes and other properties may sustain significant damages. Serious lightning hazard is also an effect of the thunderstorm.
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