Page 152 - Super Earth Encyclopedia

STORM WARNING

SUPERCELL

The biggest, most powerful thunderstorms are
known as supercells. High-altitude wind that is
blowing in a different direction from the low-level
wind interacts with rising warm, moist air to create a
spiral updraft called a mesocyclone. As the moist air
rises and cools in the swirling updraft, water vapor
condenses to form a gigantic rotating cloud mass that
towers high into the sky. The huge cloud often spills
torrential rain as well as giant hailstones that can smash
glass and cause serious injury. Some supercells also
produce intensely destructive tornadoes.

MONSTER HAIL

The powerful updrafts that build
storm clouds hurl ice crystals up
and down, adding layer upon
layer of ice to create hailstones.
In supercells, the updrafts are so
extreme that they can produce
hailstones as large as a human fist.
Made of solid, heavy ice, these
eventually crash to the ground at
high speed, and are very dangerous.

STATS AND FACTS

SUPERCELL HAILSTONES
Giant rotating
supercells are A supercell Giant hainstones
may be more
can be up to 8 in
especially common than 9 miles (20 cm) across and
in North America,
(15 km) high.
weigh 2.2 lb (1 kg).
EXTREME WEATHER in the world. WIND SPEED km/h wind speeds from supercells can 166
but they can
occur anywhere
Powerful ground level
reach up to 92 mph (148 km/h).
130
112
148
DIAMETER
104
80
92
mph
68
ABOUT
25
MILES
(40 KM)
150

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