GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — There are four types of thunderstorms: single cell, multicell, squall lines and supercells. Let’s take a look at them.

Single cell storms or “pulse” thunderstorms as they’re sometimes called consist of one updraft, which matures and eventually collapses into a downdraft of precipitation. You may see these storms rise and fall many times on a typical summer afternoon.

Often more than one pulse thunderstorm will go up in the same area, forming a multi-cell cluster. One cell is carried along by the upper-level winds, with a second cell forming to take its place. This can create training thunderstorms over the same area which can produce tremendous amounts of rain and flash flooding in some scenarios.

Sometimes many thunderstorms merge into a line, usually along a moving boundary like a cold front. These can produce damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes. They can usually be identified by a linear shelf cloud like these. They can evolve into damaging, long-lived wind storms which can produce similar damage to tornadoes, though this damage is in a straight line.

The last and most dangerous type of thunderstorm is the supercell. These are some of the many supercells that I’ve seen in my life. They are a special type of single-cell thunderstorm that produces almost all significant tornadoes and hailstones larger than golf balls. Supercells can produce downdraft straight-line winds in excess of 100 mph. Because supercells rotate with height, they can take on a spectacular corkscrew appearance.