STORMY WEATHER

Francoise Steynberg
STORMY WEATHER: On Monday morning, Eddie Louw captured this image in Tsumkwe. Weather expert George van der Merwe from Aranos described the rare visual formation as a supercell. On Tuesday, the Namibia Meteorological Service issued a weather alert for moderate to heavy thunderstorms and possible flash floods across many parts of the country, lasting until Saturday.

A supercell is a thunderstorm characterised by the presence of a mesocyclone, a deep, persistently rotating updraft. Due to this, these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms (supercell, squall line, multi-cell, and 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 32 kilometres away. They tend to last 2 to 4 hours.

Photos: Eddie LouwPhotos: Eddie Louw

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-30

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