Thunderstorms are dangerous because they include
lightning, high winds, and heavy rain that can cause flash floods
. Remember, it is a severe thunderstorm that produces a tornado. By definition, a thunderstorm is a rain shower that contains lightning.
In what four ways can thunderstorms be dangerous?
Thunderstorms and lightning are two very common yet dangerous weather events. These dangerous storms include lightning and can also bring
powerful winds over 50 MPH, hail, flash flooding, and even tornadoes
.
What are the 5 main hazards for a thunderstorm?
Hazardous weather events that can occur in a thunderstorm include
lightning, heavy precipitation (downpour of rain, hail, graupel/snow pellets, and, in winter, snow)
as well as wind gusts that can sometimes reach up to hurricane strength.
What is the 30 30 rule for lightning?
After you see lightning, start counting to 30. If you hear thunder before you reach 30,
go indoors
. Suspend activities for at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder. If you are caught in an open area, act quickly to find adequate shelter.
What are the 3 stages of thunderstorms?
Thunderstorms have three stages in their life cycle:
The developing stage, the mature stage, and the dissipating stage
. The developing stage of a thunderstorm is marked by a cumulus cloud that is being pushed upward by a rising column of air (updraft).
What is the most dangerous type of thunderstorm?
Tornadoes
are the most dangerous and damaging aspect of severe thunderstorms. Wind speeds of tornadoes can reach to near 300 mph and cause an average of 80 deaths and 1,500 injuries per year in the U.S. Most fatalities from tornadoes occur in mobile homes and in automobiles.
What are the 4 types of storms?
The different types of storms are
hailstorms, ice storms, snowstorms, thunderstorms, wind storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes
.
What are 4 types of severe storms?
- The Single-Cell.
- The Multi-Cell.
- The Squall Line.
- The Supercell.
Is it safe to watch TV during a thunderstorm?
It isn’t dangerous to watch TV during a thunderstorm
, but the electronics in a TV set are vulnerable. If you have to make a telephone call, use a mobile phone detached from its cable rather than a landline device. Over-voltages resulting from a lightning strike may follow electrical conductors into the handset.
Is it safe to stand near a window during a thunderstorm?
Fact: While a house is the safest place you can be during a storm, just going inside isn’t enough. You must avoid any conducting path leading outside, such as electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, plumbing, metal doors or metal window frames.
Don’t stand near a window to watch the lightning
.
What does the 30 30 rule mean?
The ’30-30 Rule’ Offers The
Best Lightning Safety Guidance
For The General Public. When You See Lightning, Count The Time Until You Hear Thunder. … Wait 30 Minutes Or More After The Lightning Flash Before Leaving Shelter.
Can I pee during a thunderstorm?
A toilet is probably as safe a place as any in a lightning storm
, if you’re not touching metal. … If you have metal plumbing instead of PVC, lightning can follow the pipes through your walls and give you a good (perhaps fatal) jolt.
Why do thunderstorms happen at night?
Thunderstorms that form at night occur
in the absence of heating at the ground by the sun
. Consequently, the storms that form at night are usually “elevated,” meaning that they form aloft above the cooler air near the ground, rather than near the ground, which only during the day can get warmer.
How long do thunderstorms usually last?
Thunderstorms typically do not last very long and will most often pass by your location
in less than one hour
. The best defense against thunderstorms is to stay inside a sturdy, substantial building that can protect you from lightning, hail, damaging wind, heavy rain, and tornadoes.
Where is the safest place to be in a severe thunderstorm?
Go to a pre-designated area such as a safe room,
basement
, storm cellar, or the lowest building level. If there is no basement, go to the center of a small interior room on the lowest level (such as a closet, bathroom, or interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls.
What causes a thunderstorm to end?
When the downdrafts in the cloud become stronger than the updraft, the storm starts to weaken. Since warm moist air can no longer rise, cloud droplets can no longer form. The storm dies out with
light rain
as the cloud disappears from bottom to top.
