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When you hear thunder, you have a thunderstorm nearby. As obvious as it sounds, that is the definition of a thunderstorm: no thunder – no thunderstorm. If only everything else were so simple.
A country the size of the US or Australia experiences approximately 10,000 thunderstorms each year. Most of the time, they are nothing but a nuisance. From a distance, you may even enjoy the spectacular cumulonimbus cloud and the bonus ‘fireworks’ of lightning and thunder. Occasionally, however, a severe thunderstorm can be as destructive as a tropical cyclone or a tornado. A single severe thunderstorm unleashes its fury over an area of about 8km. Sometimes, especially along a weather front, thunderstorms come in company and line up for more than 150km.
Annually, their destructive power results in economic losses in the US of around A$2 billion. In Australia, thunderstorms are more damaging than cyclones, floods or bushfires. Of course, there are exceptional years when the competition takes first place.
Thunderstorm
Thunder and lightning
What is in the book?
Chapter: Violent Weather
Wind
Cyclones/hurricanes
Tornados
Thunderstorms
Lightning
Floods
Global Warming
