Fast Facts for Kids
Thunderstorm Facts for Kids

Thunderstorm Facts for Kids

The topic of this web page is thunderstorms (a storm with lightning and thunder) and contains 21 thunderstorm facts for kids. In addition to facts about thunderstorms, we provide you with some crazy pictures of thunderstorms and alternate resources with information on thunderstorms. Our thunderstorm facts will help you learn about them, what a thunderstorm is, what happens in a thunderstorm and several other thunderstorm facts.

Our facts about thunderstorms and other thunderstorm related data should help you understand the fundamentals of this severe weather event. Start your research on thunderstorms by scrolling down and reading our 00 thunderstorm facts. Following those facts are thunderstorm pictures and additional resources. We’re always looking to expand the below educational content on thunderstorms, if you have anything you can share or find inaccurate information, please contact us.

21 Thunderstorm Facts For Kids

  1. A thunderstorm is a storm that produces rain, lightning, and thunder.
  2. Thunderstorms are also called lighting storms or electrical storms.
  3. A thunderstorm that is mature has the shape and appearance of an anvil or cauliflower head
  4. Thunderstorms form within cumulonimbus clouds.
  5. There are an estimated 2,000 thunderstorms active at any given moment and around 16 million thunderstorms annually.
  6. The average diameter of a thunderstorm is 15 miles.
  7. The average life span of a thunderstorm is 30 minutes.
  8. The average water volume of a thunderstorm is around 275 million gallons.
  9. The average energy output of a thunderstorm is 10 15, more than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan.
  10. Thunderstorm clouds (thunderclouds) can reach up to 66,000 feet in the atmosphere from sea level.
  11. Thunderstorms can occur anytime throughout the year, however they’re more common during the spring and summer months. In the winter, a snowstorm that causes thunder and lightning is called a thundersnow storm or winter thunderstorm.
  12. A thunderstorm can be classified as one of four types: a single-cell thunderstorm, a multi-cell thunderstorm, a multi-cell line thunderstorm and a supercell thunderstorm.
  13. A single-cell thunderstorm, also known as an air-mass-thunderstorm, is a single storm that has one main updraft.
  14. A multi-cell thunderstorm, also known as multicellular thunderstorm, is a group of thunderstorms that form and dissipate in a large cluster.
  15. A multi-cell line thunderstorm, also known as a squall line, is a group of thunderstorms moving in a line.
  16. A supercell thunderstorm, also known as a rotating thunderstorm, is a severe thunderstorm with a rotating updraft.
  17. A strong or severe thunderstorm can produce extreme weather events.
  18. Some of the extreme weather produced by strong and severe thunderstorms are heavy rain, flooding, cloud-to-ground lightning, hail, downburst, and tornadoes.
  19. The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) tracks, monitors, and issues alerts for thunderstorm. The NWS does this using various types of technically, such as weather stations, weather satellites, pulse-Doppler radar and on the ground storm spotters.
  20. The NWS issues a severe thunderstorm watch when the conditions are right to produce severe thunderstorms near a specific area.

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Thunderstorms Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on thunderstorms. Below are six pictures of different thunderstorms. These pictures should help you better understand how this severe weather event can appear.

A massive supercell thunderstorm.

A picture of a massive supercell thunderstorm.

A thunderstorm over a farm.

A picture of a thunderstorm over a farm.

A thunderstorm over a field.

A picture of a thunderstorm over a field.


A thunderstorm over a large lake.

A picture of a thunderstorm over a large lake.

A thunderstorm over a ranch.

A picture of a thunderstorm over a ranch.

A thunderstorm over a rural road.

A picture of a thunderstorm over a rural road.

Thunderstorm Resources

We hope you found the above thunderstorm facts, information, data, and pictures both fun and educational. You can continue to research thunderstorms using one of the below additional resources. They were chosen for their credibility and accuracy; you can trust their information when it comes to thunderstorms. Thank you for choosing Fast Facts for Kids.