Supercell Thunderstorm

The rotating monster that spawns tornadoes, hail, and chaos/Weather & Climate

A supercell is the most powerful and dangerous type of thunderstorm, characterized by a deep, persistently rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. Supercells can persist for hours, produce tornadoes of EF5 intensity, hailstones larger than softballs, and downpours exceeding 100 mm per hour. A single supercell can contain energy equivalent to about 10 Hiroshima-sized nuclear bombs. They are most common in the Great Plains of the United States ('Tornado Alley') but can occur anywhere conditions favor strong wind shear and atmospheric instability.