THUNDER STORM

Are you scared of a thunderstorm? Do you know what a thunderstorm is?

A thunderstorm is a storm with thunder and lightning. It is produced by cumulonimbus clouds.

Now, what is lightning?

The drops of water in a cloud can have positive or negative charge. Lightning is born when a positive and a negative charge near the edges of the cloud come near each other and a spark of electricity is produced. Lightning is dangerous and harmful.

Now, what is thunder?

Thunder is a harmless sound. Thunder is formed when the cool and warm air bump against each other. Warm air is formed when lightning heats up the air molecules in the atmosphere.

Do you know what makes a thunderstorm? 

Three conditions have to be met

• The weather must be hot, Super-hot. 
  
• The air must be humid.
  
• Unstable air.

The air must be humid which means it has a lot of moisture and water vapor. The hot weather makes the ground heated up. This causes the air to rise and become cumulus cloud. After some days if this continues, the cumulus cloud grows bigger and bigger and becomes the cumulonimbus clouds which causes the thunderstorm. When the cumulonimbus clouds become heavier, it pours down as rain and thunderstorm.


Do you know there are different types of thunderstorms? I didn’t till now. There are 3 types of thunderstorms.

• Orographic Thunderstorms (Caused by air lifted from a mountain or hillside) 
  
• Air Mass thunderstorms (Caused by convection in a localized unstable air mass) 
  
  
• Frontal Thunderstorm (Caused by frontal boundaries of weather fronts eg. Cold front)

Average number of thunderstorms

In USA, Florida has the most number of thunderstorms in a year. West coast has fewer thunderstorms as the air is drier there. Thunderstorms can occur anytime of the year. There are about 1,800 thunderstorms happening across the world. The island of Java has the most number of thunderstorms.

Do you know there are legends and myths about thunderstorms too? 

• The Navajo Indians believe that there is a bird, Thunderbird, which has flashing feathers that causes lightning and flapping of the wings causes thunder. 
  
• Chinese believe that the God of Thunder was trying to kill an evil spirit. But he accidently killed a nice lady. So the Jade Emperor made the lady- the Goddess of lightning and he sends lightning down to earth first to make sure Thunder does not kill anyone.
  
• In Greek mythology Zeus throws lightning bolts in battles.
  
• In Norse the God of Thunder (Thor)’s weapon (hammer-Mjöllnir) is lightning and the sound of his chariot is thunder.
  
• In Hindu mythology when Indra (God of Thunder) throws his weapon Vajra it causes lightning and the sound of him riding his white elephant, Airavata, is thunder.

Do you know how to stay safe during Thunderstorms?

Here are some safety tips if you are outdoors:

• Get to a safe place. If you cannot find one, get to a ditch.
  
  
• Get away from tree, tall buildings and metal objects.
  
  
• Get away from water like pools, oceans and even puddles.
  
  
• If you are with a group of people, spread out.
  
  
• If you are in a car, you are safe inside. Roll up the windows and do not touch any metal objects.

Now you know a little bit about thunderstorms are they so scarrrrrrrry?