A cold downdraft forms as the rain falls.
When condensation occurs, heat is released and helps the thunderstorm grow.Īt some point, condensation high in the cloud (now in the form of water droplets and ice) falls to the ground as rain. Rain, snow, lightning, hail and thunderstorms all originate from clouds. Clouds are an important piece to most other weather phenomena. Learn more about the whiteout weather phenomenon here. Speeds in an updraft can be as fast as 90 miles per hour! The air cools as it rises, condenses, and forms cumulus clouds. Defined by visibility and not amounts of snowfall, blizzards pose a substantial threat to travel and safety. Other things can cause warm air to rise, like a mountain slope.Ī strong updraft of warm moist air is formed and lifted by the approaching cold front. A body of warm air is forced to rise by an approaching cold front. A thunderstorm is caused by unstable air and convection plays an important part. You probably guessed that the blue water represents a cold air mass and the red water represents the warm, unstable air mass. Convection is the action of warm air rising and cold air sinking. It's all about convection! The cold water sinks while the warmer red water rises, or stays higher than the blue. Where did the red go? How about the blue? What type of air mass does the red represent? How about the blue? How does this relate to a thunderstorm? Using the red and blue pencils draw what you see happening.Observe where the red and blue food coloring goes.Add two drops of red food coloring to the water at the opposite end of the plastic container.Place a blue ice cube at one end of the plastic container.Let the water sit for 30 seconds until completely still.
#Real science made easy weather full
Fill container 2/3 full with room temperature water.Ice cubes made with water dyed with blue food coloring.One clear plastic container, shoebox size.In this activity, you will learn about convection and how air moves. When warm and cold air masses meet, a thunderstorm can grow. Thunderstorms also cause heavy rain, flash flooding, hail, strong winds and tornadoes. Every thunderstorm produces lightning, which kills more people than tornadoes each year.