A 200-meter-tall, double-action solar updraft/downdraft tower could generate clean energy 24/7 in a hot, dry desert area. Image generated by DALL-E. View 3 Images 1 / 3.

These particles of suspended collide as the storm’s updraft and downdraft carry them. Once the electrical charge is strong enough to travel from the cloud to the ground, a lightning bolt is created.

Typically, a downdraft then forms another updraft since warm air rises and cold air sinks. As cool air coming down from the cloud begins to lift, it then condenses which forms the shelf cloud.

A powerful storm system that stalled over states from Texas to Ohio for several days in early April 2025 wreaked havoc across the region, with deadly tornadoes, mudslides and flooding as rivers rose.

Moisture in that updraft condenses as it cools down, creating puffy clouds that gradually billow through the sky. Those clouds continue to grow as long as the updraft has easy access to unstable air.

Soon, a downdraft, an area of descending air, will develop on the back side of the storm, and can sometimes be the source of damaging winds. This is what’s called the ‘rear flank downdraft ...

Floodwaters rise in downtown Hopkinsville, Ky., on April 4, 2025. AP Photo/George Walker IV. Warm air also supplies storm systems with more energy.