Met Mailbag is your chance to have a Weather Plus Meteorologist answer your weather question. Each Thursday, our NBC Weather Pulse Blog will publish the answers to questions you send us. This week's question was answered by NBC Weather Plus Meteorologist Kristen Cornett.

Question: What does it mean when meteorologists use the word "supercell" in reference to thunderstorms?
Submitted by Sara Peterson, Concord, Mass.

Answer: Great question, Sara. Well, a supercell is a type of thunderstorm that is the most rare and most dangerous to form.

Supercells have a rotating updraft, also called a mesocyclone.

They're long-lived and often produce tornadoes and large hail.

Sometimes the rotation of the rising air makes the cloud look twisted.

These types of thunderstorms can form anywhere, but they are usually best viewed in the Plains states.