updraft

American  

[uhp-draft, -drahft] / ˈʌpˌdræft, -ˌdrɑft /

noun

1. the movement upward of air or other gas.

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updraft Scientific  

/ ŭp′drăft′ /

1. An upward current of warm, moist air. With enough moisture, the current may visibly condense into a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud.

2. Compare downdraft

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Etymology

Origin of updraft

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; up-, draft

Example Sentences

Then a hawk flew overhead, a feathered kite suspended in the updraft off the Pacific.

From New York Times

It developed from a supercell storm - a rotating storm where the updraft and the downdraft are separated.

From BBC

Snow can form in the gentle updrafts of stratus clouds or at high altitudes in very cold regions of a thunderstorm.

From Los Angeles Times

That has suppressed upward motion and inhibited updrafts, preventing the type of clustered thunderstorm activity that occasionally self-aggregates into a fledgling storm.

From Seattle Times

As we walked along the cliff, gray and white kittiwakes clamored below us, darting up above the lip on powerful updrafts.

From Washington Post