Just how fast can a thunderstorm move?

Answer 1

i've seen supercells race at a clip of 60 mph in ohio. especially when they get intense. typically, severe thunderstorms range from 25 to 40 or 45 mph. the stronger the storm, the taller the storm is. and supercell's can make mt. everest look like a small hill.

Answer 2

Two different causes of thunderstorms are upward convection currents caused by cold air crossing warm ground, and cold fronts. Cold fronts can move very fast; the isobars are very tight behind them. It's quite common for a line of thunderstorms to move at 50 knots or more, which is bad news for aircraft. The line may be too long to avoid by flying round it, and thunder clouds, cumulonimbus, get as high as 60 000 feet or more, which is higher than most planes can fly. Hazards to aircraft include freezing rain, which weighs down aircraft, reduces the lift of wings and freezes control surfaces, and there's severe turbulence too. If you suddenly get a tailwind gust your plane can stall, and some downdraughts exceed the ability of a plane to climb and stay in the air. Then of course there's lightning.

Answer 3

As fast as their steering winds allow them. I've seen thunderstorms moving at 70 knots, which is incredible! Of course, take that with a grain of salt since it was radar-derived. Fast moving storms can cause extensive damage because even a weak wind (5 knots maybe) relative to the storm becomes 60+ knots relative to the ground.
In person, I've seen a storm move 60 knots, which I'm sure of because we were driving over 70mph and hardly staying ahead of it!

Answer 4

All thunderstorms move as fast as the wind, but are unsafe at any distance. In some areas you can be swept away by floods or other perils that are from a thunderstorm no where in sight. ~

Answer 5

It depends on the winds steering the storm Too fast and they tear the storm apart or prevent its formation. 10 to 15 kilometres an hour would be a reasonable speed for a thunderstorm.