Stages of Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms can occur at any given time of the day or night. All thunderstorms have lightening associated with them. On average, a thunderstorm lasts anywhere from 30 minutes or longer, and is 15 miles in diameter. About 10 percent of all thunderstorms reach severity.

There are three basic things that will cause a thunderstorm to transpire. These are moisture in the air, rising unstable air, and a lifting to provide that nudge in the the air. There is also a life cycle to a thunderstorm with three stages. These stages are the developing stage which lasts about 10 minutes. With this stage there is no rain, but occasional lightening. The next stage is the mature stage. This is when precipitation begins to fall out of the storm. This is the time for any heavy rains, hail, or strong gusts of winds, or even tornadoes to form.

The last stage is the dissipating stage, and this is when the storm cuts off, rainfall decreases, but lightening is still a threat. You should never stand outside directly in a lightening storm, and especially near any large trees. Make sure you have proper ground rods installed around your home and exterior buildings that contain electrical wiring.