Weather is the condition of the air that surrounds the earth. The weather can be hot or cold, cloudy or clear, windy or calm. Storms are 1.   of violent weather. The main types of storms are thunderstorms, winter storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Thunderstorms are the most common type of storms. As many as 50,000 thunderstorms occur throughout the world each day. They 2.   from tall, puffy cumulonimbus clouds. Strong air currents inside these clouds force water vapor to move up and down at high speeds. The water vapor condenses quickly and causes heavy rain. The rapid motion of the air in these clouds builds up electrical charges. These charges cause lightning. The heat from a lightning flash rapidly 3.   the surrounding air creating sound waves that we hear as thunder. An example of a violent winter storm is a blizzard, a cold, blinding snowstorm. During a blizzard, the wind blows at 35 miles per hour or more making it impossible to see more than a short way ahead, and the 4.   may be 10 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. High winds can pile snow into huge drifts. Tornadoes are the most violent of storms. With winds swirling in the shape of a funnel at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, tornadoes destroy nearly everything in their path. Tornadoes form during thunderstorms and are common in the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States. Hurricanes are large whirling storms that form over the warm 5.   near the equator. They may have a diameter of 200 to 300 miles. Winds blow at speeds of 74 miles per hour or more around the center, or eye of the storm. Hurricanes hit land with tremendous force bringing huge waves, and heavy rain. Powerful hurricanes cause extensive flooding and great destruction.