Thunderstorms Explained

What are thunderstorms and how do they happen?

We have now entered into the season of thunderstorms! The late spring and summer months are when you most often see thunderstorms in the Okanagan Valley. Even though they can happen during all hours of the day, they most often occur in the afternoon or early evening hours. .
Across the globe, about 16 million thunderstorms happen every year. Approximately 2000 storms are happening at any given moment worldwide.

For a thunderstorm to happen, a few things have to be in place. In general, the recipe for a thunderstorm calls for three things: moisture, a lifting mechanism to raise air, and then the air needs to rise. A thunderstorm will not happen if just one of these ingredients is missing.

You can often tell if there is rising air around you by looking at the clouds. In this picture (taken on May 12, 2020), I’m pointing at cumulus clouds, or clouds that have vertical development. This “popcorn-looking” type of cloud often depicts unstable air, or rising air.

The need to have all of the right ingredients in place makes forecasting thunderstorms tricky. Meteorologists can often see the potential or the risk of a thunderstorm in a given area. However, because storms may not necessarily be widespread, it is nearly impossible to pinpoint exactly where and when a storm will occur until just a short time before. For example, a storm may roll through parts of East Kelowna, while West Kelowna remains sunny, or vice versa.


This is why you often see a “risk” of a thunderstorm on forecasts, with a certain degree of uncertainty.

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