Chapter 14 - Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Index of Lecture Notes

• Introduction to Thunderstorms
• Distribution of thunderstorms
• Distribution of hail storms
• Air mass thunderstorms:
  • cumulus stage
  • mature stage
  • dissipating stage
• Downbursts - micro and macrobursts
  • Threat to aviation - wind shear
• Gust fronts
• Severe thunderstorms - Introduction
• Supercell thunderstorms
• Wall clouds
• Tornadoes
• seasonal tornado occurrence and tornado alley
• Tornadic winds
• Tornado versus microburst wind damage patterns
• Tornado observations
• Doppler velocity interpretation
• Squall Lines

• Bow Echoes
• Derechoes
• Mesoscale Convective Systems
• Ingredients for severe storms
• Introduction to lightning
• refraction of sound waves
• refraction of sound waves, cont
• charge distribution in thunderstorms
• the cloud to ground lightning discharge:
  • the stepped leader
  • the traveling spark
  • the return stroke

• Ch 15 Homework

• Ch 15 Review questions