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Thunderstorm-formation
To this day, the formation of storm clouds is still a mystery.
Thunderstorms appear to have an important function on a global scale. The exact origin of the local voltage build-up, which in extreme cases can lead to large discharges of up to 500,000 amperes, has not been clarified to this day. The voltages that develop between cloud and earth can reach 20-40 million volts and in exceptional cases even billions of volts.
The flash builds up like this: He begins the pre-discharge, which jumps further in leaps and bounds on a by no means straight track from the cloud towards the ground. The jumps are about 50 m long. Negative charges are transported from the cloud to the earth. When the lightning channel reaches near the earth`s surface, an oppositely charged area develops on the earth`s surface. This is called influence. If the contrast is large enough, a spark grows towards the lightning through influence from the ground, thereby closing the channel from the clouds to the ground. Each discharge consists of powerful bursts of electricity that last only 40 millionths of a second each time. Since several discharges follow one another, the duration of a flash can even be in the range of seconds for the viewer. However, the total energy of a flash is only approx. 40000 kw/h.
Lightning strikes are now monitored worldwide and are located to within a few meters. You simply measure the propagation times of the impulses emanating from a lightning strike and can use this time difference to determine the location of the lightning strike. For several years, these measurements have made it possible to determine the frequency of lightning and thunderstorms more precisely than is possible from observations at weather stations.
Thunderclouds form in unstable air layers, which means nothing else than that individual air parcels have the opportunity to rise to great heights and form clouds. There are different types of thunderstorms. Thermal thunderstorms are caused by the strong warming of the air layer near the ground due to strong solar radiation.
Warm thunderstorms occur in Germany from the end of April to September. In winter, the power of the sun`s rays is no longer sufficient to heat the air accordingly.
Thanks to modern lightning measurement technology, it is now possible to better describe the frequency of lightning or thunderstorms. Altogether there are around 20-25 days of thunderstorms a year in Germany. The numbers vary only slightly.
The distribution of thunderstorms in Germany over the course of the year is similar everywhere. Between May and August there are an average of 4 thunderstorms per month. In the winter months there is only one thunderstorm every 2-3 years.
The heat of summer is therefore definitely necessary for the development of thunderstorms.
The probability of thunderstorm activity in the course of the day is greatest between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., with the maximum temperature. Thunderstorm activity also drops to a minimum between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. The lowest temperatures are also reached at this time. However, thunderstorm activity is still very high in the evening and only decreases significantly from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. later in the evening.
The flash builds up like this: He begins the pre-discharge, which jumps further in leaps and bounds on a by no means straight track from the cloud towards the ground. The jumps are about 50 m long. Negative charges are transported from the cloud to the earth. When the lightning channel reaches near the earth`s surface, an oppositely charged area develops on the earth`s surface. This is called influence. If the contrast is large enough, a spark grows towards the lightning through influence from the ground, thereby closing the channel from the clouds to the ground. Each discharge consists of powerful bursts of electricity that last only 40 millionths of a second each time. Since several discharges follow one another, the duration of a flash can even be in the range of seconds for the viewer. However, the total energy of a flash is only approx. 40000 kw/h.
Lightning strikes are now monitored worldwide and are located to within a few meters. You simply measure the propagation times of the impulses emanating from a lightning strike and can use this time difference to determine the location of the lightning strike. For several years, these measurements have made it possible to determine the frequency of lightning and thunderstorms more precisely than is possible from observations at weather stations.
Thunderclouds form in unstable air layers, which means nothing else than that individual air parcels have the opportunity to rise to great heights and form clouds. There are different types of thunderstorms. Thermal thunderstorms are caused by the strong warming of the air layer near the ground due to strong solar radiation.
Warm thunderstorms occur in Germany from the end of April to September. In winter, the power of the sun`s rays is no longer sufficient to heat the air accordingly.
Thanks to modern lightning measurement technology, it is now possible to better describe the frequency of lightning or thunderstorms. Altogether there are around 20-25 days of thunderstorms a year in Germany. The numbers vary only slightly.
The distribution of thunderstorms in Germany over the course of the year is similar everywhere. Between May and August there are an average of 4 thunderstorms per month. In the winter months there is only one thunderstorm every 2-3 years.
The heat of summer is therefore definitely necessary for the development of thunderstorms.
The probability of thunderstorm activity in the course of the day is greatest between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., with the maximum temperature. Thunderstorm activity also drops to a minimum between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. The lowest temperatures are also reached at this time. However, thunderstorm activity is still very high in the evening and only decreases significantly from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. later in the evening.
