GC: n
S: NOAA – https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/thunderstorms/ (last access: 30 July 2024); NWS – https://www.weather.gov/media/lsx/wcm/Thursday_tstorm_15.pdf (last access: 30 July 2024).
N: 1. also thunder-storm, 1560s, from thunder (mid-13c., from Old English þunor “thunder, thunderclap; the god Thor,” from Proto-Germanic *thunraz, from PIE (s)tene- “to resound, thunder” + storm (Old English storm “violent disturbance of the atmosphere, tempest; onrush, attack, tumult; disturbance,” from Proto-Germanic sturmaz storm, from PIE stur-mo-, from root *(s)twer- “to turn, whirl”).
2. Sudden electrical discharges manifested by a flash of light (lightning) and a sharp or rumbling sound (thunder).
3. Thunderstorms are associated with convective clouds (Cumulonimbus) and are, more often, accompanied by precipitation in the form of rainshowers or hail, or occasionally snow, snow pellets, or ice pellets.
4. thunderstorm, a violent short-lived weather disturbance that is almost always associated with lightning, thunder, dense clouds, heavy rain or hail, and strong gusty winds. Thunderstorms arise when layers of warm, moist air rise in a large, swift updraft to cooler regions of the atmosphere. There the moisture contained in the updraft condenses to form towering cumulonimbus clouds and, eventually, precipitation. Columns of cooled air then sink earthward, striking the ground with strong downdrafts and horizontal winds. At the same time, electrical charges accumulate on cloud particles (water droplets and ice). Lightning discharges occur when the accumulated electric charge becomes sufficiently large. Lightning heats the air it passes through so intensely and quickly that shock waves are produced; these shock waves are heard as claps and rolls of thunder. On occasion, severe thunderstorms are accompanied by swirling vortices of air that become concentrated and powerful enough to form tornadoes.
5. Thunderstorms are known to occur in almost every region of the world, though they are rare in polar regions and infrequent at latitudes higher than 50° N and 50° S. The temperate and tropical regions of the world, therefore, are the most prone to thunderstorms. In the United States the areas of maximum thunderstorm activity are the Florida peninsula (more than 80 thunderstorm days per year, with some areas over 100), the Gulf Coast (60–90 days per year), and the mountains of New Mexico (50–80 days per year). Central Europe and Asia average 20 to 60 thunderstorm days per year. It has been estimated that at any one moment there are approximately 1,800 thunderstorms in progress throughout the world.
6. Cultural Interrelation: We can mention the novel Ordinary Thunderstorms (2009) by William Boyd.
S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Thunderstorm (last access: 25 June 2015). 2 & 3. METEOTERM/IMV/OMM (last access: 25 June 2015). 4&5. EncBrit – https://www.britannica.com/science/thunderstorm (last access: 30 July 2024). 6. WP – http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/16/AR2010021605221.html (last access: 2 July 2015).
SYN:
S:
CR: cyclogenesis, erosion, eruption, explosive cyclogenesis, lightning, low-pressure area, meteorology, natural disaster, shower, storm, thunderbolt, thunder.
