| A thunderstorm, or an electrical storm, is a form of meteorological phenomenon characterized by the presence of lightning and its attendant thunder. It is often accompanied by copious rainfall, hail, or, on occasion, snowfall (which is sometimes known as thundersnow). A thunderstorm is produced by a cumulonimbus cloud, it is a microscale event of relatively short duration characterized by thunder, lightning, gusty surface winds, turbulence, hail, icing, precipitation, moderate to extreme up and downdrafts, and under the most severe conditions, tornadoes. |