Aren't storms supposed to move?

Question

There has been a thunderstorm in my area for 3 and a half hours straight, and it's still pretty strong. I thought that storms only lasted about 20-30 minutes and then moved??

Answer 1

Storms are influenced by more than their direction and speed. High pressure and low pressure areas can make a column of air stagnant. Think of air filled plastic bubbles that are all stacked on top of each other. That is a column of air. When that column is being pressed together from all sides, it cannot move. That is how pressure affects the weather. When you are on an airplane that is ascending, you are moving through different columns of air so quickly that your ears cannot adjust without help. So, as you move in any direction through the atmosphere at high speeds, the pressure on your body is changing. Temperature is changing too. All of these factors affect the thunderstorm you experience.

Sorry this was so long.

Answer 2

I agree with the storm training explanation, but there could be others. Are you near any kind of mountain or hill? When the wind direction is aimed at a higher elevation, it forces air up that higher elevation and clouds/storms can develop on the top front side of that higher elevation. They would continue to form, like an ongoing storm.

There is also the case in which storms form when there is very little upper level flow to move the storm. Thunderstorms move according to the wind at 10,000 - 18,000 feet (approximately). If there is very little wind up there, you get very little movement in the storm.

If I knew where you were located I could tell you for sure what was happening at that time.

Location is key with meteorology.

Answer 3

maybe ur gettin a large area of thunderstorms or its stationary in ur area

Answer 4

no it depends on how fast the storm is moving. the slower it moves the longer the storm is in your area

Answer 5

This can be caused by storm "training", where cells are continually developing behind each other.  Each cell is moving, but also maturing.  Such that the leading cell is dieing out, while the one behind is pouring rain, and the one behind that is building very strongly, and the ones trailing are in the beginning stages, etc.  So as each develops and moves it replaces the one in front and makes the appearance that the storm is standing still.