Editing Supercell (section)

{{short description|Thunderstorm that is characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone}}
{{distinguish|Superstorm}}
{{About|the weather phenomenon}}
[[File:Low Precipitation Supercell Thunderstorm.jpg|thumb|right|A low precipitation supercell in rural Northeast [[Colorado]].]]
A '''supercell''' is a [[thunderstorm]] characterized by the presence of a [[mesocyclone]], a deep, persistently rotating [[vertical draft|updraft]].<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Glickman|editor-first=Todd S.|title=Glossary of Meteorology|publisher=[[American Meteorological Society]]|edition= 2nd |year=2000|url=http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?id=supercell1 |isbn= 978-1-878220-34-9 }}</ref> Due to this, these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms.<ref>[http://www.stormchasers.au.com/lemon7.htm "ON THE MESOCYCLONE 'DRY INTRUSION' AND TORNADOGENESIS"], Archived at: {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730065045/http://www.stormchasers.au.com/lemon7.htm |date=2013-07-30}}, Leslie R. Lemon</ref> Of the four classifications of thunderstorms (supercell, [[squall line]], [[Multicellular thunderstorm|multi-cell]], and [[pulse storm|single-cell]]), supercells are the overall least common and have the potential to be the most severe. Supercells are often isolated from other thunderstorms, and can dominate the local weather up to {{convert|32|km|mi|0}} away. They tend to last 2–4 hours.

Supercells are often put into three classification types: classic (normal precipitation level), low-precipitation (LP), and high-precipitation (HP). LP supercells are usually found in climates that are more arid, such as the high plains of the United States, and HP supercells are most often found in moist climates. Supercells can occur anywhere in the world under the right pre-existing weather conditions, but they are most common in the [[Great Plains]] of the [[United States]] in an area known as [[Tornado Alley]]. A high number of supercells are seen in many parts of Europe as well as in the [[Tornado Corridor]] (<small>[[:es:Pasillo de los Tornados|es]]</small>) of [[Argentina]], [[Uruguay]], southern [[Brazil]], and [[Paraguay]].