Thunderstorm Formation

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Thunderstorm Formation

• Ashley Lambert

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What is a Thunderstorm?

• A thunderstorm is a brief and traveling storm of
  thunder and lightening that results from strong
  rising air currents. Often during thunderstorms
  there is heavy rainfall or hail.

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Stages of a Thunderstorm

• The suns heat warms the earth and surrounding
  air through out the day
• The warm air rises, and if the air is moist, it
  will form a cumulus cloud. This is known as the
  Cumulus Stage.
• As the cumulus cloud collects more moist air, it
  grows larger and larger and the water within the
  cloud become heavy.
• Cool air surrounding the cloud creates a downward
  wind which pushes the water out of the cloud
  which causes rain.

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Stages of a Thunderstorm

• The storm is now in the Mature Stage and the
  cloud is now called a cumulonimbus cloud because
  it has an updraft, down draft and rain
• The lightening you see during thunder storms is a
  giant spark, formed by the electric charges that
  fill the sky.
• The heat given off by lightening causes the
  surrounding air to expand, the expansion turns
  into a sound wave, or thunder, which is the
  booming noise you hear during thunder storms.
• The Dissipation Stage, is the final stage in
  which the cool down drafts over power the warm up
  drafts causing the cloud to disappear from bottom
  to top.

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What stage of a Thunderstorm has cumulonimbus
clouds?

• Cumulus Stage
• Mature Stage
• Dissipation Stages

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Sorry, Wrong Answer

• Try again and review the stages of a thunderstorm
  before returning to the question

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CORRECT!!!

• The Mature Stage has cumulonimbus clouds

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Bio Page

• This was a mini lesson created by Ashley Lambert
• 4th year Elementary Education major at Western
  Michigan
• Email a3lamber_at_wmich.edu