The conditions for thunderstorm development is warm, moist, unstable air. You have areas of warm upward moving air and areas of cool falling air. This is called convection, most thunderstorms are called Convective Storms. The towering thunder clouds are called Cumulonimbus Clouds. The way that you can tell the difference from regular cumulous clouds to cumulonimbus clouds is the shape of it, which resembles an anvil.
If this cloud is seen (above), strong to severe thunderstorms will follow, creating extremely dangerous lightning and possible tornadoes. The Cumulonimbus (anvil) cloud is a classic sign of severe weather. On the other hand, thunderstorms can also be severe with an advancing cold front. These storms are called frontal thunderstorms and they can be just as powerful. During such severe thunderstorms, you should never be outdoors due to the threat of lightning. If you are outdoors and you hear thunder in the distance begin to move indoors immediately! Keep in mind that lightning can travel 10-20 miles away from a thunderstorm cloud before it strikes something.
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(picture of developing thunderstorm) |
(different view of a Cumulonimbus Cloud) |
