Are thunderstorms more likely to form at the equator or at the poles?

Question

I know that the equator has more latent heat capabilities but no Coriolis Force. At the poles there is a high Coriolis Force but minimal heat. So where are you more likely to find thunderstorms?

Answer 1

Thunderstorms are like to form near the equator, not at 0 degrees latitude. The reason for that because there is no wind in this region, the region is called dull drums. As you go further north around 5 degrees latitude is a region called the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) this is where the trade winds slowly converge to form thunderstorms. Sometime this area of formation for thunderstorms is called the equatorial trough. This is where hurricanes come from. The thunderstorms can grow into huge clusters, and shift north, and as they do they interact with the Coriolis effect and they become a hurricane.

Answer 2

This has a simple answer and has nothing to do with Coriolis effect. It has to do with moisture content of the air and the instability (rising air is unstable, descending air is stable). It is very warm and humid along the equator and this warm air rises and the result is thunderstorms. In the arctic and antarctic the air is very dry and it is descending thus no thunderstorms. In fact there has never been a thunderstorm recorded above the arctic circle.

Answer 3

There are more favourable conditions near the equator for the thunderstorms to form.The required heat and the atmospheric instability are available here.Clouds don't form above tropopause as the temperature inversion occurs above tropopause.Near the equator the tropopause height is more(nearly 16 kms and above)and the top of the thunderstorms can go upto 16kms and thereby becoming violent thunderstorms.

Answer 4

Coriolis is not really related to thunderstorm, but to much larger scale storm system called hurricanes; and then Coriolis is simply there to decide on the direction of rotation.

Answer 5

I think its heat and updraft from rising heat that have bigger contribution then Coriolis effect. Big thunderstorms are formed with strong updraft that also produce big hails. I don't think anybody saw thunderstorms at poles.

Answer 6

thunderstorms form mostly on the equator because of heat