However, scientists also expect thunderstorm and lightning will also become more frequent and more deadly. This is because as Earth’s surface warms, the air above it also warms, becoming able to absorb more moisture, which in turn has been correlated with more lightning .
This of course begs the question “When do thunderstorms mostly occur?”
Thunderstorms are most likely in the spring and summer months and during the afternoon and evening hours, but they can occur year-round and at all hours. Along the Gulf Coast and across the southeastern and western states, most thunderstorms occur during the afternoon.
Winter and early spring thunderstorms mostly originate from cold fronts trailing from Gulf Lows and Colorado Lows. Spring, summer, and, to some extent, fall thunderstorms occur because of convective afternoon thunderstorms in an unstable atmosphere.
You could be thinking “What makes severe storms more or less likely?”
So one factor makes severe storms more likely, while the other makes them less so.
The next thing we asked ourselves was what state has the most thunderstorms and why?
Florida leads nation in number of thunderstorms3 things needed to form, develop thunderstormsAt home, go to interior room on lowest floor.
This is what our research found. severe thunderstorms are defined as having sustained winds above 93 kilometers (58 miles) per hour or unusually large hail, and there are two key factors that fuel their formation: convective available potential energy (CAPE) and strong wind shear.
This latest storm has been pounding Southern California’s local mountains with heavy snowfall, making it a dangerous drive for anyone who is Cal. Trans officials say most of the heavy snow has been falling in the areas between Wrightwood and Running.
Will storms become more frequent as the Earth gets warmer?
As our planet continues to warm, intense and destructive storms are likely to become more and more frequent over many land regions. In fact, they already have.
“As the planet warms with more greenhouse gases, we really don’t have very strong evidence as to what will happen with severe thunderstorms,” Brooks said. Sign up for Scientific American ’s free newsletters.