Introduction to Thunderstorms
It is estimated that there are as many as 40,000 thunderstorm occurrences each day world-wide. This translates into an astounding 14.6 million occurrences annually! The United States certainly experiences its share of thunderstorm occurrences.
The figure above shows the average number of thunderstorm days each year throughout the U.S. The most frequent occurrence is in the southeastern states, with Florida having the highest number 'thunder' days (80 to 100+ days per year).
It is in this part of the country that warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean (which we will see later are necessary ingredients for thunderstorm development) is most readily available to fuel thunderstorm development.