Thunder Storms on Jupiter

They discovered that some of the storms here closely resemble clusters of thunderstorms found on Earth - mesoscale convective complexes. What is remarkable about the storm complexes on Jupiter, says Gierasch, is that they have the same physics as thunderstorm clusters on Earth, but they are generated by a completely different type of heat source. Generally, thunderstorms on Earth are small individual cells of cumulonimbus clouds, caused by summertime heat from the Sun. A mesoscale convective complex is a cluster of many cells of thunderstorms, of the type that commonly strikes the midwestern United States. These complexes are also formed by intense summertime heat.

The Sun's heat drives other weather patterns on Earth, of course, such as hurricanes and cyclones. The difference is the source of the system's 'fuel'. Hurricanes and cyclones on Earth are fueled by the warm ocean. Mesoscale convective complexes develop because of an instability in the atmosphere. Where it is warm near the Earth's surface in the summer and cooler aloft, condensation rises and forms many cells of intense thunderclouds over a vast area. These summertime giants can last for hours, even days, and dump unusually large amounts of rain.