Snow Squall- a very brief snow shower that is accompanied by strong winds and very heavy snow. They are very narrow in coverage area and can be dangerous to motorists. Some will have winds gusts in excess of 40 mph. At the same time, snow fall rates may reach as high as two inches per hour. This is enough to cause white out and at times blizzard conditions and visibility may go from 10 miles to less than one quarter of a mile in less that a mile.
Wall Cloud- a lowering of a rain free base of a thunderstorm. Tornadoes can and occasionally do develop from these clouds. If you see one of these chances are the storm is either severe or very close to it. Even if no Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued, you should take cover immediately.
Rain Free Base- a base of a thunderstorm where you can see no rain and across the storm. Area where hail falls sometimes.
Funnel Cloud- a spinning vortex from the base of thunderstorm that is not touching the ground. If you spot one of these in a thunderstorm, call 911 and report it immediately. Do not stand around to watch, take cover in a basement , safe room, storm cellar, and last resort, got to the farthest room inside your home with no exterior walls or windows, and wait until the storm has passed.
Tornado- a spinning vortex from the base of thunderstorm that is touching the ground. If you spot one of these in a thunderstorm, call 911 and report it immediately. Do not stand around to watch, take cover in a basement , safe room, storm cellar, and last resort, got to the farthest room inside your home with no exterior walls or windows, and wait until the storm has passed. Even if a tornado warning is not in effect that does not mean a tornado can not occur.
Ground Truth- conditions that are occurring on the ground. Used by NWS forecasters to make decisions on warnings, watches, etc. This is information is provided by SkyWarn Spotters and law enforcement.
Rain-
Sleet-
Snow-
Freezing Rain-
Bow Echo- a line of thunderstorms that represents the shape of a bow. The strongest winds are usually at the tip of the echo. These are usually associated with squall lines
Squall Line- a solid or nearly solid line of thunderstorms. moving as a unit.
Suppercell- a thunderstorm with a persistent strong updraft. They usually rotate and 95% of the time have the potential to be tornadic. They are best known for their large extremely large .hail and striations when seen from a distance.