A convective storm system usually composed of a cluster of ordinary convective cells at various stages of their life cycle. New cells within the convective system are generated primarily by either low-level convergence along a preexisting boundary, or by lifting at the leading edge of the system-scale cold pool that was produced by the previous cells. A multicell storm may have a lifetime of several hours, and may also have supercells incorporated as a part of the system as well. See also cell, ordinary cell, supercell, thunderstorm.