thunderstorm

An atmospheric phenomenon that develops within a cumulonimbus (storm cloud), consisting of a sudden, high-intensity electrical discharge, manifested by two electrometeors: lightning and thunder. The electrical activity is usually accompanied by showers of rain, hail, and - more occasionally - snow or granular ice. In the initial phase of the storm, prior to precipitation, strong wind gusts are generated, caused by the impact against the ground of the cold air that the aforementioned hydrometeors drag downward, as they fall within the cloud.