Why does it not thunder in winter?

In winter, controlled by the continental cold air mass, the air is cold and dry, the solar radiation is weak, and the air is not easy to form violent convection, so thunderstorms rarely occur. But sometimes the weather is warmer in winter, and the power of warm and humid air is stronger. When the cold air in the north occasionally goes south, the warm and humid air is forced to rise, and the convection intensifies, so-called "thunder into winter" phenomenon will occur.

Meteorologists also say that the occurrence of thunderstorms does not depend on the temperature itself, but on the upper and lower distribution of temperature. In other words, although the temperature is not high in winter, if the temperature difference between the upper and lower reaches a certain value, strong convection can also be formed, resulting in thunderstorms. Thundering in winter is rare in China, but it often happens in Toronto in winter.

Seasonal difference

Why does it seldom thunder when it snows in winter and it rains and thunders in summer?

Lightning is a discharge phenomenon in thunderstorm clouds. The formation of thunderstorm clouds should meet certain conditions, that is, there should be enough water vapor in the air, the power to make wet air rise, and the air should be able to produce strong convection. Spring and summer are affected by the warm and humid airflow in the south, with humid air and strong solar radiation. The air near the ground is constantly heated up, and the upper cold air sinks, which is easy to form strong convection, so there are many thunderstorms and hail.

1, lightning protection description

(1) When it thunders and rains, it is forbidden to stay at the top of the mountain or high hills, and it is necessary to continue to push up and watch the rain scene. Don't hide under trees or telephone poles, and don't walk or stand in open fields. You should hide in a low-lying place as soon as possible, or try to find a room floor or a dry cave to hide.

② In thunderstorm weather, do not use umbrellas with metal handles, and take off glasses, watches and belts with metal frames. If you travel by bike, you should leave the bike as soon as possible and stay away from other metal objects to avoid being struck by lightning.

③ Don't go swimming, boating or fishing in rivers and lakes in thunderstorm weather.

(4) In lightning and stormy weather, if tourists rest in the hotel, they should immediately turn off the indoor TV, tape recorder, stereo, air conditioner and other electrical appliances to avoid using electricity. It's safer in the middle of the room when it thunders. Don't stay under the electric light, and don't lean against posts, walls, doors and windows, so as to avoid accidents caused by induced electricity when it thunders.

2. Preventive measures

The weather at that time was that the ground temperature was around zero, which made it possible to snow. At high altitude, warm and humid air climbs sharply, producing strong convection and cumulonimbus clouds, so it snows and thunders at the same time. There is a lot of air flow in the sky. Some of these streams flow upward, some flow downward, with different directions and speeds, some are fast and some are slow.

The movement of the airflow makes some cumulus clouds in the air rush up and some fall down. Friction between clouds makes clouds carry different kinds of charges. Because the same charges repel each other, positive and negative charges gather at the two ends of the cloud respectively. The faster the air flows, the thicker the clouds, and the more electricity it carries. When the charge carried by cumulus clouds reaches a certain level, it will be discharged through the air to neutralize the two charges.

Because electricity will heat up when it passes through the air, the air will expand rapidly, thus making a huge noise. This is a transport mine. If the charged cumulus is close to the ground, the ground and the lower layer of the cloud will be charged differently due to electrostatic induction. When the charge reaches a certain level, cumulus clouds will discharge to the ground, which is a ground mine prone to disasters.

Generally speaking, where there are prominent things on the ground, it is easy to discharge them from there, so we can't take shelter from the rain under tall trees when we are in the wild.

Refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Thunder