Spring Weather -- All About Supercells

There’s been quite a bit of severe weather lately, and you may have heard the term ‘supercells’ floating around. Let’s discuss the different types of supercells.

1. Classic Supercells: These supercells have a unique signature on radar, often including a hook-like appearance. On the ground, these storms usually obtain a wall cloud and distinct areas of rising (updraft) and sinking (downdraft) air. Classic supercells most commonly form in the Plains.
2. High Precipitation Supercells: This category of supercells is defined as you would expect from the name. Less isolated supercells and a more rain-wrapped storm define high precipitation supercells. Visibility is often reduced with the higher precipitation, making dangerous features such as tornadoes be obscured, which can be particularly dangerous.
3. Low Precipitation Supercells: Opposite of high precipitation supercells, these storms contain little precipitation and form in dry environments with strong winds in the mid-level of the atmosphere, about 18,000 feet off the ground. While there is less precipitation, low precipitation supercells are still dangerous, often containing large hail. The Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles have dry environments that support this type of supercell.
4. Miniature Supercells: Characterized by their small size, miniature supercells form in environments that just barely support the development of storms. The amount of rising air, or buoyancy, is limited, keeping the size of the storm small. Usually, miniature supercells form when the weather is cooler.

Sometimes supercells evolve from one type to another, making it difficult to distinguish what type of supercell a storm is at a certain time. Heading into the rest of the Spring season, listen for the different types of supercells and always be aware of the danger these storms can pose.

Source: weather.gov
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Story Image: Frequent lightning is just one threat supercells may possess (pixabay.com).