While storms don’t dodge your house because Mother Nature has a vendetta, storms can split for many reasons.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s a classic storm myth in the Carolinas: “I must live in a bubble, storms always split around my house!”
But can this actually happen? Let’s raise your Weather IQ.
The easy answer is no. There are plenty of instances of splitting storms but it has nothing to do with where your home is.
Splitting storms occur in environments with strong wind shear, which is the change of wind speed and direction with height.
A storm can split when the top moves in the direction of the upper atmospheric winds but the base of the storm moves in the direction of the lower surface winds. This will eventually cause one area of low pressure to split in two — causing two updrafts and two storms.
Thunderstorms can also break down when they lose their fuel — warm and moist air. For example, when a storm encounters a cooler body of water, like a lake, it can weaken the driving force (the fuel) and dissipate the storm.
Drier air can also shut off the updraft if it’s fed into the storm.
There are three common types of storms in the southeast: single cell, supercells, and QLCSs. Your classic afternoon thunderstorm is single cell which means it’s variable and constantly changing.
Since there is no focal point of formation or lifting mechanism to drive the storm (like a cold front), they are the most likely to collapse on themselves.
The atmosphere is fluid and complex but we promise, Mother Nature does not have a vendetta against rain at your house.
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
