There are two main types of thunderstorms: ordinary and severe. Ordinary thunderstorms are the common summer storm.
They are usually multicell. Multicell storms consist of a line of thunderstorms in different stages of development.
Ordinary thunderstorms last about one hour. The precipitation associated with them is rain and occasionally small hail.
An ordinary thunderstorm cloud can have a vertical extent up to 12 kilometers. Severe thunderstorms are the most
dangerous weather phenomenon. They are capable of producing baseball-sized hail, strong winds, intense rain, flash floods,
and tornadoes. Severe thunderstorms can last several hours and can reach a vertical extent of
18 kilometers. Several phenomena are associated with severe thunderstorms. These include the gust front, microburst,
supercell thunderstorm, and the squall line.
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Gust front
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