Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Look at the WeatherRadar: What is a squall line?

10:30
5 October 2022

Look at the WeatherRadar
What is a squall line?

Squall line visible on the WeatherRadar this morning, October 5th 2022
Check out the squall line on the WeatherRadar, October 5th 2022

On the WeatherRadar there was a narrow, darker line of rain within the wider band. This is known as a squall line, but do you know what it indicates?

A squall line is a narrow, linear band of thunderstorms, as seen on the WeatherRadar, that produce particularly heavy and intense downpours. Though narrow, they can extend over hundreds of kilometres long.

It can often be associated with hail, frequent lightning strikes and gusty winds as it passes through, which is often at quite a rapid speed, although they can still last several hours.

Squall lines most commonly form along or ahead of cold fronts, in highly unstable environments. As the cold air advances, it forces warmer, moist air in its path to rise, condense and form clouds, with continuous updrafts along its leading edge encouraging growth.

They tend to begin as a narrow band of convective cumulonimbus clouds, evolving into a broader system over time, thriving in conditions of strong updrafts, strong vertical wind shear, and strong low-level winds.

If a squall line forms in arid regions, this can result in a haboob, as explained here.

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Record-breaking heatwave in Europe. New records. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
A map showing extremely high temperatures across Western Europe and a warning symbol. On the right, people cool off at a fountain in front of the Eiffel Tower during the heatwave in Paris.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

New records

Record-breaking heatwave in Europe
A hot and thundery week. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 28 June 2026
Split image showing a bright branching lightning bolt illuminating pink storm clouds on the left and a vivid rainbow arching above a rocky coastline and calm sea beneath dark clouds on the right.
Sunday, 28 June 2026

Your weather - Your shots

A hot and thundery week
Schools closed and more heat disruption. Red warnings now live. . . Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Split image showing a person using a sun umbrella near the Elizabeth Tower in London on the left and a temperature map of England on the right with widespread red heat, temperatures reaching 35°C near London, and a large thermometer icon.
Wednesday, 24 June 2026

Red warnings now live

Schools closed and more heat disruption
All weather news
This might also interest you
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday, 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday, 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList