Question

Explain the mechanism of thunderstorm??

Answer 1

Lightning is an event which heats air to 30,000 K in less that 10 u-seconds (Uman, 1987). A sudden increase in pressure and temperature causes surrounding air to expand at a rate faster than the speed of sound. Thunder is exploding air occurring along the whole length of the lightning channel. Thunder can be heard easily up to 20 km distance. (Viemeister, 1961).

Rarely is thunder heard beyond 30 km. Sound velocity is proportional to the square root of temperature. Temperature typically decreases with height. Thus thunder sound will be deflected upward. Thunder audibility also is influenced by humidity, wind velocity and wind sheer, temperature inversions, terrain features, clouds, etc. (Uman, 1987 and Fleagle, 1949).

Thunder contains a roughly cylindrical initial pressure shock wave at the lightning channel in excess of 10 atmospheres. The shock wave decays to a sound wave rapidly, within meters. When thunder is heard about 100 m distant it consists of one large bang, yet hissing and clicking may be heard just prior to the bang (upward streamers?). When heard about 1 km from the lightning, generally thunder will rumble with several loud claps sometimes being reported. (Uman, 1982).

Answer 2

$\textbf{Thunderstorm}$:

The swift movement of the falling water along with rising are producing sound, lightning, heavy rain, and strong wind is called thunderstorm.

$\textbf{How Thunderstorm forms ? }$

Warm air rises and carry water droplets. At higher altitude the water droplets freezes and falls down towards the earth. During this The frozen droplets melt to form water droplets which falls in the form of heavy rain. This falling water along with the rising warm air and lightning give rise to a thunderstorm.

Two important characteristics will be : moisture, sea breeze or mountains as they provide help in formation of a thunderstorm.