The Weather is always big News

Today I saw Lightening come from out of the sun.   I was so excited.  After my initial excitement I realized it was not from the sun but from the storm just above the sun on the horizon.

Dawn Sky in Urunga

The Science of Thunderstorms

All thunderstorms go through three stages: the cumulus stage, the mature stage, and the dissipation stage. Depending on atmospheric conditions, these three stages can take anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours to occur.

There are four main types of thunderstorms: single cell, multicell, squall line (also called multicell line) and supercell. Which type you get depends on the instability and relative wind conditions in the atmosphere’s different layers (called "wind shear"). Single cell storms are the typical summer thunderstorm we experience in temperate locales. They typically move, being a function of a local atmospheric instability.

Multi cell storms can form clusters or “squall lines” (organized line of storms). They tend to form from convective updrafts in or near mountain ranges and linear weather boundaries, usually strong cold fronts or troughs of low pressure. Multicell line storms can span hundreds of miles. They move swiftly, and are preceded by a gust front. Heavy rain, hail, lightning, very strong winds and even isolated tornadoes can occur in a squall line.

Images @ Melonpopzdropz Flickr