Thunderstorms are also our natural air conditioners. Hot air at the surface rises up into the high atmosphere where the heat is put out into space. Clouds give us shades, and rain can cool down a hot day. Without thunderstorms, the earth would be as much as warmer. In the summer, dust, haze, and other pollutants come together in the lower atmosphere. When the air rises, either in cumulus clouds or in thunderstorms, spreads the pollution higher up into the atmosphere. Rain from thunderstorms washes away many of these pollutants out of the air.