雷暴是一种产生闪电及雷声的自然天气现象。它通常伴随着滂沱大雨或冰雹，而在冬季时甚至会随暴风雪而来。

雷暴可以在世界任何地方发生，甚至发生在两极和沙漠地带，但通常在低纬度的地方（特别是热带雨林地区）会较频繁地发生，可以每日都会发生。在亚热带和温带等中纬度地区，雷暴则通常会在夏季的下午或傍晚发生，有时在冬季也会受冷锋影响而有短时性雷暴。乌干达及印尼为全世界雷暴发生最频繁的地方，除此之外，在美国中西部及南部州份会发生威力最强烈的雷暴，因为这些雷暴会与冰雹或龙卷风一起发生。至今为止，全世界从未出现过雷暴的地区只有南美洲智利北部的阿他加马沙漠，该地因气候过于干燥和难以形成雨云才会未出现过雷暴。

A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, or a thundershower, is a type of storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. Thunderstorms occur in association with a type of cloud known as a cumulonimbus. They are usually accompanied by strong winds, heavy rain and sometimes snow, sleet, hail, or, in contrast, no precipitation at all. Thunderstorms may line up in a series or rainband, known as a squall line. Strong or severe thunderstorms may rotate, known as supercells. While most thunderstorms move with the mean wind flow through the layer of the troposphere that they occupy, vertical wind shear causes a deviation in their course at a right angle to the wind shear direction.