Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
    Home / Weather News /

    Eye on the sky - A sky lover's guide to thunderstorms

17:00
19 May 2022

Eye on the sky
A sky lover’s guide to thunderstorms

WeatherRadar for Friday 20th May
WeatherRadar for Friday 20th May. Click to explore more!

With a threat of some thunderstorms in the forecast, particularly in Ireland, we thought we would take this opportunity to create a visual guide of what you might spot in the sky tomorrow.

Cumulonimbus

Cumulonimbus storm clouds erupt from smaller, fair-weather cumulus clouds, and even alone can produce some pretty spectacular structures.

Another type of cloud associated with thunderstorms, though more rare, are mammatus clouds. These are a child of cumulonimbus clouds and though seemingly ominous, could be indicative of both past or impending severe weather.

Keep your eyes peeled for an explainer piece on mammatus clouds tomorrow.

Lightning

Whilst you won’t want to be in close proximity to lightning, given their dangerous nature, watching the sky light up safely from afar is a treat not to be missed.

Lightning is naturally more visible at night, but storms that develop at night tend to become ‘elevated’, meaning they form higher up in the atmosphere, where it is warmer than at the surface.

These elevated storms tend to be more intense as they create stronger downdrafts further from the surface.

As consequence, these storms tend to produce a greater number of cloud to ground lightning strikes, though tomorrow’s look to be more of a daytime feature.

Rainbows

But it’s not just menacing features to keep an eye out for during a thunderstorm; with the harshness of nature also comes raw beauty.

Rainbows often follow a spell of sunshine and showers, and form when sunlight is scattered through water droplets.

This light is then reflected and refracted, creating a rainbow as the light exits the droplets.

It’s not just sunshine that needs to be present, plenty of other conditions need to align, including the angle of the sun in the sky, the position of the sun in relation to the viewer, and of course the presence of water droplets.

So, keep your eyes on the sky tomorrow, especially if you're in Ireland! And don't forget to share your shots with us here.

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Heatwave clocks more record temperatures. Up to 38 °C in France. . . Friday 29 May 2026
A composite image showing the Temperature Radar and a drinking fountain. The Temperature Radar shows Thursday’s maximum temperatures of up to 37.8 degrees in France, whilst people use a fountain to cool off.
Friday 29 May 2026

Up to 38 °C in France

Heatwave clocks more record temperatures
Typhoon risk in the Western Pacific. Gusts exceeding 124 mph. . . Thursday 28 May 2026
v
Thursday 28 May 2026

Gusts exceeding 124 mph

Typhoon risk in the Western Pacific
A change in the weather is on the way. Early summer ends. . . Wednesday 27 May 2026
Split image showing a European weather map with low-pressyre system, temperature bands, and thunderstorm icon on the left, and a bright rainbow over green countryside and mountains on the right.
Wednesday 27 May 2026

Early summer ends

A change in the weather is on the way
All weather news
This might also interest you
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
Bright and warm conditions take hold. Spring-like outlook. . . Thursday 23 April 2026
Split UK map showing warm temperatures up to 21 degrees in orange on the left and clear sunny conditions with temperatures from 12 to 18 degrees on the right, with sun icons across the country.
Thursday 23 April 2026

Spring-like outlook

Bright and warm conditions take hold
Wishes from Weather & Radar. Merry Christmas!. . . Thursday 25 December 2025
Outline of Santa Claus with a yellow and white hat, "Ho-Ho-Ho" next to the outline above a Christmas tree.
Thursday 25 December 2025

Merry Christmas!

Wishes from Weather & Radar
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList