Editing Mesocyclone (section)

== Within thunderstorms ==
They are of greatest concern when contained within severe thunderstorms, since mesocyclones often occur together with [[updraft]]s in supercells, within which tornadoes may form near the interchange with a downdraft.

Mesocyclones are localized, approximately {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} to {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on}} in diameter within strong thunderstorms.<ref name=AMS-glossary-meso-cycl/> Thunderstorms containing persistent mesocyclones are ''supercell thunderstorms'' (although some supercells and even tornadic storms do not produce lightning or thunder and thus are not technically thunderstorms). [[Weather radar#Velocity|Doppler weather radar]] is used to identify mesocyclones. A [[mesovortex]] is a similar but typically smaller and weaker rotational feature associated with [[squall line]]s.