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Severe weather is one type of extreme weather, which includes unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather and is by definition rare for that location or time of the year. [5] Due to the effects of climate change , the frequency and intensity of some of the extreme weather events are increasing, for example, heatwaves and droughts .
Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and (in the event of severe, precipitation-based events) instability in the atmosphere.
Lightning is a natural phenomenon formed by electrostatic discharges through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions, either both in the atmosphere or one in the atmosphere and one on the ground, temporarily neutralizing these in a near-instantaneous release of an average of between 200 megajoules and 7 gigajoules of energy, depending on the type.
Severe storms sweep across the U.S. each year, bringing lightning, flooding, tornadoes and hail.
When severe weather looms, storm alerts are important tools for keeping people informed. The National Weather Service shares alerts as it warns of potential risks from thunderstorms, flooding ...
Sheet lightning is cloud-to-cloud lightning that exhibits a diffuse brightening of the surface of a cloud, caused by the actual discharge path being hidden or too far away. The lightning itself cannot be seen by the spectator, so it appears as only a flash, or a sheet of light. The lightning may be too far away to discern individual flashes.
The overall risk of being struck by lightning is very low, with odds of one in 15,300 of being hit in your lifetime (defined as 80 years), according to the National Weather Service.
Lightning is frequent and intense, greater than 15 cloud-to-ground strikes in a five-minute period. 6 Dry lightning (same as LAL 3 but without rain). This type of lightning has the potential for starting fires, and is normally highlighted in fire weather forecasts with a red flag warning.