Thunderstorms are weather disturbances characterized by concentrations of thunder, lightning and fierce winds.
Thunderstorms are weather disturbances characterized by concentrations of thunder, lightning and fierce winds. When they accumulate in clusters, these storms are often accompanied by violent cloud bursts and flooding, which can devastate the areas affected.
Denmark is no stranger to this phenomenon. In 2011, large parts of Copenhagen were submerged by deluges that lead to roughly 6 billion kroner in damages reported to insurance companies.
In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen shed light on one particular mechanism that has the potential to spawn powerful thunderstorms and cloud bursts:
"We conclude that the atmosphere’s ability to generate large thunderstorms is influenced, among other things, by the difference between the temperature of the earth’s surface during the night versus during the day. If the difference is great, we see more thunderstorms, and subsequently, more cloud bursts," explains Jan Olaf Härter, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute.
Continue reading at University of Copenhagen.
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