storms 101
Weather affects everyone's daily lives, and unfortunately many people know surprisingly little about the topic.
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Sure, you may be able to look at a gray cloud and think it might rain soon, but would you be able to recognize specific features to tell the severity of it? Can you open a radar app on your phone and know if it's actually a rotating supercell? Do you know when the gust front will arrive and how strong it will be?
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Not all severe weather hazards come with a convenient NWS warning on your phone. With that in mind, do YOU have the basic weather knowledge and tools needed to be aware of potential threats?
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The YouTube videos and cited information below can help YOU understand some of the basics of storms and keep you weather aware.
basic weather awareness
reading radar
This YouTube video from the channel Watch Chris Chase, excellently explains how to interpret weather radar images.
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It's not always as simple as green equals light rain and red equals heavy rain.
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Watch this video to be able to understand what different shapes of storms could mean, as well as how meteorologists use different types of radar data to issue warnings.
basic cloud types
Stepping away from the radar, there's plenty to be found simply by looking up at the sky.
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This video from NWS Albuquerque gives a brief understanding of the basic cloud types, why they may form that way, and what they could mean.
severe weather clouds
[Fig. 1] Cumulonimbus with an anvil.
[Fig. 2] Cumulonimbus with an anvil and overshooting top.
[Fig. 3] Distant dissipating storm with an anvil.
Anvils
"Anvil" is a way to describe a cumulonimbus (thunderstorm) cloud, which has reached the tropopause (top of the troposphere, which is the lowest layer of the atmosphere where all weather occurs).
The cloud cannot rise any higher, so it begins to expand outwards.
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A sign of an especially strong thunderstorm is when there is what's called an "overshooting top".
This means that despite the fact that the cloud shouldn't be able to rise any higher, the updrafts inside the cloud are so strong that it does anyways.
This feature can only really be seen from several miles away from the storm, though.
[Fig. 4] Shelf cloud precedes an approaching storm.
shelf clouds
Shelf clouds are long horizontal clouds that are lowered from the base of the storm and precede the rain and winds.
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Upon the arrival of a shelf cloud winds will usually change in speed and/or direction. Sometimes this shift can be extremely sudden and severe.
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Not every shelf cloud means damaging winds, however, if you see one approaching, you should be aware that there is a possibility it will bring sudden winds in excess of 58 mph!
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If you're unsure of what kind of winds it will herald in, it's best to secure anything around with could become an airborne projectile.
[Fig. 5] Wall cloud.
wall clouds
Wall clouds are a lowered section of cloud at the base of a mesocyclone/supercell storm. The key identifier here if that a wall cloud is rotating, usually counterclockwise.
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A wall cloud can be a very dangerous sign sometimes as these can often be a sort of stepping stone for the formation of a tornado.
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If you see a wall cloud approaching, even if you're not absolutely certain about it, it is best to seek shelter. Better to be safe than sorry, especially if you don't have much experience with spotting severe weather.
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Many times shelf clouds are mistaken for wall clouds. Click here for additional information from the NWS on differentiating the two.
storm types
single cell
This video explains what a single cell thunderstorm is, any risks associated with it, and how long it typically lasts.
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Single cell storms can appear and disappear very rapidly. Some storms can even form within the span of 15 minutes if conditions re favorable enough!
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Typically though, these storms bring minimal risks and are over quickly.
multicell
Multicell storms are the most common thunderstorm type.
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A key feature of this type of storm is multiple areas of higher storm activity, usually in different phases of their lifecycles.
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Often the influence of one area of the storm can either weaken or strengthen another.
squall line
In this third video from the Tornado Titans YouTube channel, they explain what qualifies a squall line storm.
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"Squall line" is basically a way of saying a linear line of multiple thunderstorm cells.
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High winds are usually the primary threat associated with these storms, however, they can produce other form of severe weather such as hail, flash flooding, and even brief tornados.
supercell
More officially knows as a "mesocyclone", supercells are the rarest type of thunderstorm.
These storms have the potential to become incredibly violent and are the type of storm that produces almost all of the deadliest tornados.
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Despite this, supercells are still statistically less likely to produce a tornado than not.
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Watch this video from famed storm chaser, Pecos Hank as he describes what makes supercells so special and dangerous.
sources
[Fig. 1] Cumulonimbus with an anvil. Pixabay user "music4life". [Link]
[Fig. 2] Cumulonimbus with an anvil and overshooting top. Pixabay user "Bluesnap". [Link]
[Fig. 3] Distant dissipating storm with an anvil. Photo by Shanon Mary McNeil.
[Fig. 4] Shelf cloud precedes an approaching storm. Pixabay user "DerTobiSturmjagd". [Link]
[Fig. 5] Wall cloud. National Weather Service. [Link]
