What is a thunderstorm? Determining its power is the most important task for modern weather forecasters. Everything you need to know about thunderstorms for children and adults, including how to avoid the adverse effects of this phenomenon, is described later in the article.
What is thunder and lightning?
The first is, of course, an atmospheric phenomenon. And the second is one of its manifestations. Everything related to sudden changes in the weather depends on the movement of air currents. Warm goes up and cold goes down. When there is enough moisture in the air, clouds form at a certain height above the ground. The latter are of several types. Thunderstorms are mainly associated with cumulonimbus clouds. In general, thunderstorms can be divided into two subtypes: frontal (large-scale) and intramass (local). The former are very rare.
Thunderstorm is usually accompanied by gusts of squally wind and heavy precipitation in the form of rain or hail. The latter is due to the fact that the thundercloud is large and heterogeneous in its structure. In the lower part it consists of water droplets, and at the top it already consists of grains of snow and ice. Andthe lower boundary may be at a height of five hundred or more meters above the ground. The upper edge of the cloud reaches seven kilometers. Grains of different size in a cloud constantly collide with each other and therefore receive an electric charge. Small ones go up, while larger and heavier ones go down. The former carry a positive charge, the latter negative. Lightning occurs in two cases - as a discharge between two differently charged clouds or between a cloud and the Earth's surface.
Thunder is inextricably linked with a thunderstorm. It can be defined as follows. Thunder is the sound vibrations of air that occur when heated after lightning passes through the atmosphere. Waves, as a rule, are reflected from objects on the surface of the earth and from clouds. Since light is much faster than sound, we usually hear thunder after a flash of lightning. And only if the bad weather is directly above the observer, these two phenomena seem almost simultaneous. And if you have a good idea of what a thunderstorm is, determining the distance to it is an important task. After all, this can give you time to find shelter. Sound travels at about 340 meters per second. So when you see lightning, start timing. Then divide the number of seconds by three. You will get an approximate distance in kilometers.
Associated adverse events
So, once again about what a thunderstorm is. We have already defined it. However, usually it is not just flashes of lightning and a deafening roar. By the way, the strength of the latter speaks of poweratmospheric phenomenon. As mentioned above, bad weather is usually accompanied by heavy, but short-lived rain or hail.
The size of the grains of the latter also indicates the strength of the thunderstorm. In addition, the wind is picking up. In some cases, tornadoes can form. But the latter for temperate latitudes, of course, are rare. Fires can start from lightning strikes into wood or other objects. In general, this is a real bad weather.
For the little ones
Everyone knows that babies are very afraid of the sound of thunder and flashes of lightning. And therefore it is very important not only from the point of view of psychology, but also for the sake of safety during this phenomenon to monitor the children. Many of them are so curious that they ask their elders about what a thunderstorm is. Knowledge is important for children, so tell your child about this weather phenomenon: why it occurs and why it is dangerous, what to do during a thunderstorm.
How to protect yourself?
Here are some simple rules. If you are at home, stay away from windows. Do not turn on household appliances, turn off the external antenna. Avoid using wired telephones. Close all windows and doors. And if you have a stove at home, then the hood too. Do not go out unless absolutely necessary.
If you are outside in a thunderstorm, move away from tall objects, especially trees. Do not hide in sheds and under sheds. Stay away from metal structures. If you are swimming in a river or sea, leave the water immediately. Sailing on a boat - land on the shore. In the forest, it is better to hide in the thicket among low trees. And if you are caught in a thunderstorm in a field, find some low spot and sit down with your head in your hands. Any metal objects should be set aside at a distance of several meters from you. It is better to stop the car away from tall trees. Then you need to close all windows and lower the external antenna.
So, in the article we talked about what a thunderstorm is, the definition of this phenomenon was also given. It is very unfavorable for a person, and it is better not to fall into a thunderstorm.
