Thunderstorms frequently occur in the late afternoon and at night in the Plains states. When are thunderstorms most likely? Thunderstorms are most likely in the spring and summer months and during the afternoon and evening hours, but they can occur year-round and at all hours.Īlong the Gulf Coast and across the southeastern and western states, most thunderstorms occur during the afternoon. There are about 100,000 thunderstorms each year in the U.S. How many thunderstorms are there? Worldwide, there are an estimated 16 million thunderstorms each year, and at any given moment, there are roughly 2,000 thunderstorms in progress. What is a severe thunderstorm? A thunderstorm is classified as “severe” when it contains one or more of the following: hail one inch or greater, winds gusting in excess of 50 knots (57.5 mph), or a tornado.

A thunderstorm is the result of convection. Why do I sometimes hear meteorologists use the word “convection” when talking about thunderstorms? Usually created by surface heating, convection is upward atmospheric motion that transports whatever is in the air along with it-especially any moisture available in the air. Since thunder comes from lightning, all thunderstorms have lightning.

What is a thunderstorm? A thunderstorm is a rain shower during which you hear thunder. Send us feedback.What we do: Read more about NSSL's thunderstorm research here. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thunder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2022 In luge, athletes thunder down the track at more than 80 mph lying on their back, feet first, on a small sled. Oregonlive, 2 June 2022 Still, Starks, who works as a hunting guide seasonally and on a ranch the rest of the year, has never seen anything like 150,000 people yelling and screaming as the horses thunder down the stretch of the most exciting two minutes in sports.ĭan Wolken, USA TODAY, Unyielding, visceral, imaginative, and rendered with galvanic precision, the poems thunder along through gritty geographies of place and psyche, revealing the ruptures created by divides in both. Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, 9 June 2022 Florida continued to thunder away, scoring three in the fifth for a 7-1 lead. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb What caused a pinnacle of the glacier to break off and thunder down the slope at a speed estimated by experts at nearly 200 mph, wasn’t immediately known.įrances D'emilio, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2022 What caused a pinnacle of the glacier to break off and thunder down the slope at a speed estimated by experts at some 300 kph (nearly 200 mph), wasn’t immediately known.Īl, 4 July 2022 What caused a pinnacle of the glacier to break off and thunder down the slope at a speed estimated by experts at some 300 kph (nearly 200 mph), wasn't immediately known.įrances D'emilio,, 4 July 2022 It’s not often that Southcentral Alaska residents wake to thunder in the middle of the night. Matt Yan,, If the conditions are thunder and lightning, heavy winds, or anything that falls under a weather advisory, there’s not enough gear to make that safe for you. Mike Hart, Journal Sentinel, 13 June 2022 Throughout the entire rescue, Fish and Game said, rescuers encountered rain, thunder, lightning, and trails that were steep, icy and wet. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 9 July 2022 Parts of the region were hit by thunder, lightning, rain, heavy winds and even hail.Īmy Hubbard, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2022 Of course the menu featured heavy rain, heavy wind, thunder, lightning and more hail. Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2022 Summertime in Washington means not only heat and humidity, but includes the seemingly ever present possibility that those two seasonal banes can combine in creating thunder, lightning and a rapid rise in creeks. 2022 As people began to walk away from Port Clinton Square, there was thunder, dark clouds and rain started to fall. 2022 This phobia is heightened as the intensity of the storm, likely measured by the vigor of the lightning or decibel level of the thunder, amplifies. Recent Examples on the Web: Noun There has been a weather delay due to thunder, lightening and rain in Williamsport this afternoon.

Thunder in the vicinity meaning