squall line

noun, Meteorology
1.
a line or extended narrow region within which squalls or thunderstorms occur, often several hundred miles long.
Examples from the web for squall line
  • Climbing down into the squall line was not an option.
  • When many individual thunderstorms organize into a nearly continuous line, a squall line is born.
  • The squall line bow echo resulted in numerous reports of damage, mainly in the form of damaged or uprooted trees.
British Dictionary definitions for squall line

squall line

noun
1.
a narrow zone along a cold front along which squalls occur See also line squall
squall line in Science
squall line  
A line of sudden, sometimes violent thunderstorms that develop on the leading edge of a cold front. Squall lines can form up to 80 to 240 km (50 to 149 mi) in front of an advancing cold front and can be more than 160 km (99 mi) long. The thunderstorms of a squall line can produce severe weather conditions, such as hail and rain accompanied by winds of over 96 km (60 mi) per hour; they are also associated with tornadoes, especially in spring and early summer.