supercell

[ soo-per-sel ]

noun

, Meteorology.

1. a highly organized thunderstorm that can last for several hours, capable of producing both updrafts and downdrafts exceeding 100 miles per hour, large hailstones, tornadoes, and flash flooding (often used attributively):

   a supercell in Kansas City;

   supercell storms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of supercell¹

First recorded in 1960–65; super- ( def ) + cell ( def )

Example Sentences

Such tremendously high values almost always indicate large hail, in the context of a supercell.

From Washington Post

These factors favor clusters or arc-shaped complexes of strong to severe thunderstorms, and possibly a few supercells or rotating thunderstorms.

From Washington Post

They sounded as a long-track supercell or rotating thunderstorm dropped tornadoes while leaving behind several pockets of damage.

From Washington Post

Severe weather in the Upper Midwest caused a few spectacular looking supercells to form Wednesday.

From Washington Post

Unlike the better-known rotating supercells, however, derechos form from long bands of swiftly moving thunderstorms, sometimes called squall lines.

From Science News