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<br />(1) the air-mass storm complex <br /> <br />(2) multiple celled storms <br />(3) the squall line <br /> <br />Air-mass storms often become complex after starting out as an <br />isolated cloud system with a well-organized cloud base and its main <br />new growth updraft area usually visible somewhere around its base. <br />Multiple cloud turrets often develop around the initial "parent" <br />storm and subsequent storm movements can become erratic depending <br />upon several factors such as its severity, terrain effects, dynamic <br />factors within the storm, cloud height, variability of wind speed <br />and direction with height and the blocking of steering winds caused <br />by large upwind cloud systems. <br /> <br />Air-mass storm complexes often transition into a large, multi- <br />celled systems. Fig. 2 shows a "classic" storm with new growth on <br />its left side. Updrafts found on the upwind side of a storm' s <br />direction of movement are termed "trailing" or "back" side; the <br />"front" side is on the downwind side, its leading edge. Most often, <br />important updrafts to the hail process are found along its trailing <br />edge below cloud base at some distance behind the precipitation. <br /> <br />Air-mass storms can transition into a line of storms containing <br />multiple cells showing characteristics more similar to those of a <br />small squall line. During the gradual development of these multi- <br />cellular lines, cloud base updrafts frequently shift around although <br />they are still found around some of the individual cell elements <br />comprising it, making proper cloud base treatment quite difficult. <br />The updraft locations important to the hail process on these type <br />qf cloud systems are along a line on its front side, running from <br />a few miles to many miles in length. Other times, the best seeding <br />area may 'be around only one end of the line. Multi-celled lines may <br />also appear as a remnant of a weakened squall line or as part of a <br />line of storms associated with fronts, surface troughs and <br />thunderstorm outflows. <br /> <br />Under some conditions multi-celled storms may become very <br />large, developing several new growth areas simultaneously with <br />distinct storm "cores" growing embedded in and around the periphery <br />of the total cloud boundary while the cloud system is in transition <br />from being a relatively small severe storm into a large supercell. <br />One characteristic of supercells is that they exhibit a "right- <br />turning" motion relative to the direction of the mean steering <br />winds. Also, supercells can be quite dangerous as they can eject <br />hail many in any direction, frequently throwing hail into the flight <br />paths of seeding aircraft both at cloud base and cloud top; plus, <br />supercells produce the most intense, destructive tornadoes. <br /> <br />8 <br />