Within a thunder cloud Ice particles, millions of them are thrown together, colliding against one another in a frenzy of activity. The collisions of the frozen raindrops causes small electrical charges within the cloud itself. These charges magnify until the cloud or clouds are completely filled with electrified ice particles.
Another popular inquiry is “What is the charge of a Thunder Cloud?”.
Cirrus clouds do not contain charges; only ice crystals. The clouds gather static electric charges by friction; warm air rubbing with cold air. Lower areas of the thundercloud collect negative charges and the upper portions positive charges. Average height of thunderclouds is 25,000 Ft though it often extends up to 30 or 35 thousand feet.
Lightning and thunder are caused by electric discharges due to charge differences from the ground and the clouds. But why is there a charge build up ? The static electricity in a thundercloud is formed through a piezoelectric process in the single hailstones and nothing else.
Lots of small bits of ice bump into each other as they move around. All these collisions cause a build up of electrical charge. Eventually, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. Lighter, positively charged particles form at the top of the cloud.
What causes thunder quizlet?
Thunder is produced when lightning strikes the air which causes extreme heating to the air. When the heating occurs, it causes the air to expand explosively, thus initiating a shock wave that becomes a soundwave aka thunder.
All thunderstorms require three key ingredients:
An unstable atmosphere (warm and humid air), meaning the air becomes cooler with height. Low-level moisture in the atmosphere (high humidity). A trigger mechanism that causes air to rise from the surface to form the tall cumulonimbus clouds.
Unstable air forms when warm, moist air is near the ground and cold, dry air is above. Lift comes from differences in air density. It pushes unstable air upward, creating a tall thunderstorm cloud.
How does lightning and Thunder form?
It is not absolutely clear how lightning is formed, but where it comes from is pretty well known. Basically, what happens is that when storm clouds form, they are made up of lots of dust and vapor particles.
One common answer is, answer Thunder is caused by the rapid expansion of the air surrounding the path of a lightning bolt. Monsoon storm producing a forked lightning bolt from the Red Hills Visitors Center at Saguaro National Park in Arizona.
Why do Thunder and lightning make a sound?
The heated air expands explosively, creating a shockwave as the surrounding air is rapidly compressed. The air then contracts rapidly as it cools. This creates an initial CRACK sound, followed by rumbles as the column of air continues to vibrate. If we are watching the sky, we see the lightning before we hear the thunder.
The loud thunder that follows the lightning bolt is commonly said to come from the bolt itself. However, the grumbles and growls we hear in thunderstorms actually come from the rapid expansion of the air surrounding the lightning bolt.
How does a cloud become a thundercloud?
In the tops of the clouds, temperature is below freezing and the water vapour turns into ice. Now, the cloud becomes a thundercloud. Lots of small bits of ice bump into each other as they move around. All these collisions cause a build up of electrical charge. Eventually, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges.
Thunderclouds are very tall – of course, from the earth you can’t always tell how tall the cloud is because you just see the bottom. But above that, it stretches up tall into the sky. Clouds are made of tiny water droplets. It’s so cold high up in the sky that ice crystals start to form inside the clouds.
How do clouds form in an updraft?
When warm, moist air moves upward in an updraft, puffy cumulus clouds may form in the atmosphere. The moisture in the air condenses into water droplets as it rises. The cloud will continue to grow as long as warm air from below continues to rise. There are several ways that an updraft of warm moist air can form.
Why do we see lightning first when it strikes?
THUNDER STORMS produce lightning, which creates the sound we call thunder. When the lightning is within sight, however, we see it first because the speed of sound in air is considerably slower that that of the electron flow.