Thunder

Thunderstorms occur throughout the world, even in the polar regions, with the greatest frequency in tropical rainforest areas, where they may occur nearly daily. Kampala and Tororo in Uganda have each been mentioned as the most thunderous places on Earth,[8] an accolade which has also been bestowed upon Bogor on Java, Indonesia or Singapore. Thunderstorms are associated with the various monsoon seasons around the globe, and they populate the rainbands of all tropical cyclones (typhoons, hurricanes, etc.) In temperate regions, they are most frequent in spring and summer, although they can occur along or ahead of cold fronts at any time of year. They may also occur within a cooler air mass following the passage of a cold front over a relatively warmer body of water. Thunderstorms are rare in polar regions due to cold surface temperatures.

The most powerful and dangerous severe thunderstorms also occur over the USA, particularly in the Midwest and the southern states. These storms can produce very large hail and powerful tornadoes. Thunderstorms are relatively uncommon along much of the West Coast of the United States,[9] but they occur with greater frequency in the inland areas, particularly the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys of California. In the Northeast, storms take on similar characteristics and patterns as the midwest, only less frequently and severely. Probably the most thunderous region outside of the Tropics is Florida. During the summer, violent thunderstorms are an almost daily occurrence over central and southern parts of the state. In more contemporary times, thunderstorms have taken on the role of a curiosity. Every spring, storm chasers head to the Great Plains of the United States and the Canadian Prairies to explore the visual and scientific aspects of storms and tornadoes.