Severe Thunderstorms In Australia

Thunderstorms range in intensity from those that bring fresh rain after a blazing summer's day, to severe storms so powerful that large trees and sometimes houses cannot stand in their path. Of all the major types of natural disaster which can occur in Australia, severe thunderstorms have probably the lowest profile in the public mind. Yet thunderstorm activity is common in Australia and it is undeniable that storms are both expensive and dangerous. Severe storms are a constant natural disaster occurring on a frequent bases in Australia. On average, these powerful storms cause more destruction than cyclones, earthquakes, floods and bushfires. As storms are unpredictable their devastating impact is often underestimated. Storms not only cause …show more content…
Severe storms are often associated with tropical cyclones and be a substantial contributor to flooding. Severe storms have the potential to influence and produce storm tides, lightning and thunder, hail, tornadoes, waterspouts, damaging winds and flash floods. There are three major factors which contribute to the production of a severe storm. Firstly, a source of moist air in the atmosphere. Moist air is essential as it allows the air to condense to form cloud, heat energy is then released making the rising air more buoyant, consequently fueling further cloud growth. Furthermore, another factor is an unstable atmosphere. This is necessary so that developing cloud is able to rise freely to great heights in the atmosphere. Additionally, initiating mechanisms are also significant as they serve as a focus for storm development. Typical mechanisms that initiate thunderstorms are fronts, troughs and regions of low pressure. Non-severe thunderstorms generally occur within environments possessing only low to moderate instability and minimal wind shear. Each of these factors influence the development of elements of a severe storm such as lighting and