John Wheeler: Severe thunderstorms are largely a mid-latitude phenomenon

FARGO — Small local storms with damaging wind, hail or tornadoes (what we call severe storms) are relatively common around the world in the middle latitudes. These same conditions are rare in the polar regions because the summertime air is usually just too cool. Tornadoes have happened in northern locations such as Alaska, but they are generally rare.

Severe local thunderstorms are also quite rare in the tropics.Although tropical thunderstorms are common, they are not usually severe because warm and humid air is so prevalent throughout the lower and mid-levels of the atmosphere that there is less tendency for thunderstorm updrafts to become strong. Tropical regions have hurricanes, of course, but these are much larger and have storm dynamics altogether different from small, local thunderstorms.



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