supercell

[soo-per-sel]

noun Meteorology.

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.

Origin of supercell

First recorded in 1960–65; super- + cell¹