Thunderstorm: DGCA Aviation Meteorology questions

A thunderstorm needs deep moist air, conditional instability and a trigger, and once it grows it brings most of the subject's hazards together. Indian storms have their own names and seasons, and this chapter covers both.

Expect recall on cell life, hail, microbursts, radar wavelengths and when storms peak over plains, foothills and sea, with Norwesters and andhis well represented among the 34 questions. DGCA sessions have featured 15 of these.

Norwesters, or kalbaisakhi, strike east and northeast India before the monsoon, while andhis are dust storms of the northwest plains. X band radar, near 3 cm, suits aircraft but fades in heavy rain, where S band, near 10 cm, sees further.