What is a scattered thunderstorm - we tell you

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Electrical storms are meteorological phenomena feared for their dangerousness and the intense noise they produce. Thunderstorms are often accompanied by heavy rainfall, thunder, lightning, and lightning. However, there is a difference between isolated thunderstorms and those that are dispersed.

In this Green Ecologist article, we explain what is a scattered thunderstorm, since they are the type that usually generates more doubts.

What is a thunderstorm

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines a electric storm as a storm that is produced locally by a cumulonimbus cloud, which is accompanied by heavy rain, lightning and thunder. When one of these storms is viewed closely, it is observed to have an anvil shape, because the upper clouds are flat in shape.

Thunderstorms can happen anywhere in the world, as long as conditions are hot and humid. When a thunderstorm exceeds 92.5 km / h, it is accompanied by a tornado and hail fall, it is called severe thunderstorm and they are a highly dangerous phenomenon. Electrical storms are more frequent in spring and summer and during the afternoon and at night, due to the fact that the temperature and humidity conditions for their formation are more favorable.

To learn more about these types of storms and their elements, we recommend you read these other Green Ecologist articles on thunder and lightning:

• What is thunder and how is it produced?
• Why do trees attract lightning?
• Are lightning and thunder dangerous?

How do thunderstorms form

For the formation of thunderstorms, it is necessary that there is a certain humidity in the environment, an unstable ascending air and forces that raise this air. The steps in its formation are as follows:

1. Ascent of hot air saturated with water vapor. This air rises, but remains warmer than the surrounding air.
2. The rise of the air causes heat to be transferred from the surface to higher atmospheric levels. Water vapor at these levels cools, condenses and gives rise to the formation of clouds.
3. In this cloud, the upper part is kept at a lower temperature than its interior, so the water vapor begins to turn into chunks of ice that grow.
4. Inside the cloud, more and more heat and steam are created, while at the top it supplies cold air.
5. Inside the cloud, the action of the wind pushes the ice fragments up and down. In their movement, the ice fragments collide with each other, creating sparks and regions of greater electrical charge that, later, form the lightning.

What are scattered and isolated thunderstorms

The thunderstorms can be scattered or isolated. Its level of danger and duration depends on this:

• Scattered storms: these kinds of thunderstorms have a greater geographic spread than isolated ones and often form in groups in the same area. These storms can form linear structures that lead to the formation of bad weather for a longer period than isolated ones. The formation of these storms means the possibility of between 30% and 50% of it falling in that area.
• Isolated storms: They are electrical storms located in a specific area of the planet and mean a 30% chance of a storm falling. They are more common in areas where the air is warm and humid. The half-life of an isolated thunderstorm is 30 minutes, according to the data.

Effects of thunderstorms

It is estimated that each year between 16 and 17 million thunderstorms fall across the planet, or what is the same, over 44,000 storms a day. The damage caused by scattered and isolated thunderstorms are important, but varied, and can cause great floods, fallen trees, power lines and other objects. When cause tornadoes, they can cause great destruction. The danger of floods can be greater when the storms are seasonal and accompanied by winds and hail.

One of the most dangerous factors in storms is the lightning strikes and lightning. It is estimated that thunderstorms can discharge approximately 6,000 lightning bolts per minute throughout the entire planet and their temperature of each of these lightning bolts may be higher than that reached on the solar surface. Approximately 30% of people who are affected by lightning die, so it is essential to comply with a series of instructions and safety protocols to avoid them.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is a scattered thunderstorm, we recommend that you enter our category of meteorological phenomena.