Severe Thunderstorm

A storm surge is a tide level change primarily brought about by a storm, particularly of the tropical cyclone ilk. In a storm surge, the sea level increases above and beyond the normal sea height, creating huge walls of water that can exacerbate the risks of the storm.

How a Storm Can Cause a Storm Surge

Storm surges can occur in the case of a storm, big or small. They are more likely, however, in a tropical cyclone type of storm. The storm has different results, each of which becomes a factor that influences the characteristics of a storm surge. All the following factors interact with each other to determine how high and how powerful a storm surge is going to be

Wind
The wind is the principal cause of a storm surge. The wind blows over the water and causes a surge of gigantic waves. The fact that the wind is moving in a spiral rotational direction reduces the sea water height downwind and increases the water height upwind. This causes the formation of the storm surge.

The force of the wind affects how powerful the storm surge waves are going to be. Its direction also determines where the storm surge is going to be directed to.

Pressure
Where there is low pressure, the water level is going to be higher because there's not much pressure to counteract the heightening tide level. Where there is more pressure, the water level is going to be more controlled. This means that at the center of the storm where the pressure is lowest, there is less to stop the effect of the wind and control the heightened sea level.

Rainfall
Rainfall usually accompanies tropical cyclones and other types of storms. The increased rainfall aggravates the situation because it increases the overall volume of water.

Other Factors that Affect a Storm Surge

Other factors can influence the storm surge formation by affecting how high and how powerful a surge storm is going to be.

High Tide
If a storm occurs during the high tide, the storm surge becomes even more of an issue. The moon's gravitational force heightens the sea water level and therefore encourages the occurrence of a storm surge. A high tide also makes it more difficult to assess if a storm surge is going to occur; scientists have no foolproof method of determining whether the heightened sea level can be attributed to the possibility of a storm surge or to the high tide alone.

Bathymetry
Bathymetry or the measure of the depth of the ocean at a period of time and the terrain of the ocean floor (whether the ocean floor drops off from the shore steeply or not) also affects the formation of a storm surge.

In simpler terms, the deeper the water, the lower the water height is going to be. However, a steep drop near the shore also encourages more powerful storm surges, probably because of the lesser distance the storm surge has to travel. On the other hand a long, sloping and shallow floor leading to the shore encourages high water levels but generally weaker storm surge waves.

Super moisturized air whipped by strong southwest winds had baked all afternoon under an intense June sun along the New England lakeshore we were fishing for bass and trout. The heated, humid air rose sharply into an unstable atmosphere and soon towering cumulous clouds darkened the sky - the process of convection (basically, the transfer of heat) had begun. It wasn't long before we heard the first rumble of thunder and could smell the metallic odor of ozone, a byproduct of rapid condensation in rain or storm clouds. Considering the forecast called for severe thunderstorms, now was the moment to pack up our fishing tackle and
seek shelter inside the nearest gas station or Mickey D's - we didn't want to be struck by lightning. Not even a record largemouth bass is
worth getting fried over.

I love the phenomena of thunderstorms. Like many of you, I'm fascinated by the crackle of lightning bolts and house shaking thunderclaps. Also, like too many people, I've unwisely continued fishing while a storm approached when I should have been long gone to safety.

Lightning strikes kill an average of 80-100 people every year in the U.S., more than hurricanes and tornados combined. A little more than half of victims were engaged in outdoor recreation like fishing or boating. Ten times as many are struck but survive - many with severe, life-long injuries or disabilities. With the height of lightning season upon us, it's time
for fishermen to consider lightning safety.

According to the National Weather Service, lightning can strike as many as ten miles away from its source cloud. This is why it is recommended to stop fishing and move indoors as soon any thunder is heard. And because the debris clouds trailing behind a thunderstorm can produce
their own lightning, fishermen should wait 30 minutes after the storm has passed to begin fishing to be completely safe. While inside during a storm stay away from doors and windows, plumbing, wiring, appliances and telephones.

A somewhat less conservative response to seeing lightning involves the "30/30 rule." Upon spotting lightning, if you can count to 30 before
hearing thunder, the odds are you're out of range of the lightning. A count of five before hearing thunder equals roughly one mile of distance from a lightning strike, a count of ten equals two miles, etc. However, thunderstorms can move as fast as 50mph so the next bolt of lightning could be right on top of you.

William Becker, of the University of Florida, notes that lightning is very unpredictable and bolts contain as much as 100 million volts - a
minimum of 500,000 times the electricity needed to power a sparkplug! Lightning follows Ben Franklin's "path of least resistance" rule, and
guess what? The path can easily be through a fisherman's body, which happens to conduct electricity quite well. So, if it's impossible to seek indoor shelter and you are trapped outside during a thunderstorm, reducing your exposure is critical.

First thing to do - lay down your fishing rods, they could act like an antennae and draw a lightning strike right to you.

If on land, seek like-sized shrubs or a group of small trees, get low and avoid touching the plants. On open terrain like fishing beaches or desert potholes with no form of cover, find a low spot and crouch on your heels. Never move towards solitary trees and avoid isolated structures like gazebos or picnic table covers (especially if they are constructed of metal), lightning can travel as much a 60 feet sideways after striking an object. An automobile - but not convertibles or cars with a fiberglass roof - offer some shelter but put your hands in your lap and avoid contact with the steering wheel, radio, ignition, etc.

Boaters are at great risk because they are often the highest object on the water's surface. Even distant thunder or lightning flashes should trigger an immediate move toward shelter on land. As a last resort, lower all fishing rods and radio antennas, then crouch down without contacting any metal railings, wiring, or the motor; don't get in the water or dangle your legs or hands in the water. If there is time, disconnect the VHF radio and GPS, this way they may survive a lightning strike. Lightning protection systems are available for some fishing boats but getting off the water is safer.

Lightning strikes the United States around 25 million times per year. Most Florida fishermen won't be 'shocked' to hear their state annually
has more strikes than any other. However, NOAA notes that lightning occurs in all fifty states. Lightning can occur at any time, but late afternoon hours are the most dangerous periods for lightning strikes, and folks spending time outside in open areas like fields or beaches are the most common victims. So make yourself aware of the weather forecast before heading out to fish and if the predictions include thunderstorms plan on returning home before the storms are due to bubble up.

Fishing for bass, walleye, trout, catfish, bream, or whichever species you favor, can be a fun way to enjoy the great outdoors if you keep in mind lightning safety whenever you grab your fishing rods for a day on the water

A dramatic concoction of electrical discharges and loud thunders along with torrential downpour, hail and sometimes snow is a thunderstorm. Everyday about 40000 thunderstorms occur in the world, most commonly in the equatorial region and in the United States, specifically in the Midwest and the South of the nation.

Moisture, instable climate and air lift are the three primary causes of thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are examined to go through 3 distinct stages: the cumulus (or the developing) stage, the stage of maturity and that of dissipation.

The first stage takes place when warm and moist air flows upward replacing the cold air. The air rises for convectional movement or frontal clashes or even orographic lift. The moisture content in the mass of air cools down and forms cumulus clouds. Condensation of the moisture also causes convection.

The mature stage of the storm begins with the rising air meeting the tropopause. Then the clouds spread on top and gives the cloud its characteristic anvil shape. In case of sever storms the updrafts are so strong that they even punch up to the stratosphere from the tropopause.

Within the clouds the water droplets turn into raindrops and even ice particles at times. Theses particles become rain again as they fall. Sometimes the updraft is so strong that it forms larger ice particles which do not melt and come down to the earth as hail.

Lightning and Thunder

When electrical charge builds up in a thunderstorm then the lightning is formed. These electrically charged particles emits bright light and the electrical current heats up the air into a plasma mass which produces the acoustic shocks which we can hear as the roaring of the thunder.

It is not fully known exactly how the electrical discharge creates thunder. The widely accepted idea says that it is the polarization of the precipitation within the cumulus cloud that produces it. As the ice crystals and water droplets move along the earth's electric field they take up positive and negative charges. The positively charged particles tend to go up while the negatively charged particles accumulate in the bottom of the cloud.

The oppositely charged particles attract each other but are insulated by the mass of air. When the charge builds quite strength, there might occur an electrical discharge within the cloud or between the clouds and even turn from the clouds to the ground. But one out of four thunders reaches the earth. Bolts of lightning moves at about 60000 miles an hour.

About 95% of the lightning is negative. This is because it is the negative charged particles that get discharged from the cloud. However 5% of the thunders are positive which travels down to the negatively charged ground. It was discovered only in the 1970s that the positive lightning is 6 to 10 times more powerful than the negative ones. It has the potential to become a threat to all mankind and technology.

Thunder forms when the lightning bolt heats its surroundings to a great extent and this makes it to expand and then contract fast. Sound travels slower than the light. This makes it possible for us to calculate how far the lightning is by counting the time between the light and the sound of the thunder. Sound travels at around one mile in 5 seconds. The thunders that occur about 20 miles away are usually not heard.

A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, or a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its effect: thunder. It is usually accompanied by heavy rain and sometimes snow, hail, or no precipitation at all. Thunderstorms may line up in a series, and strong or severe thunderstorms may rotate.