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Thunderstorms affect relatively small areas when compared with hurricanes and winter storms.
The typical thunderstorm is 15 miles in diameter and lasts an average of 30 minutes. Nearly 1,800 thunderstorms are occurring at any moment around the world. That s 16 million a year . Of the estimated 100,000 thunderstorms that occur each year in the United States, only 10 percent are classified as severe. Every thunderstorm produces lightning , which kills more people each year than tornadoes.