Daily Archives: July 14, 2025

Ordinary thunderstorms are a few miles in diameter and exist for less than an hour. The life cycle of an ordinary thunderstorm contains three stages: cumulus, mature and dissipating.

The cumulus stage is the initial stage of a thunderstorm as warm moist air near the ground rises. The mature stage of an ordinary thunderstorm begins when precipitation starts to fall from the cloud. During the mature stage, the thunderstorm produces the most lightning, rain, and can produce even small hail. The dissipating stage of a thunderstorm occurs when the updraft, which provides the required moisture for cloud development, begins to weaken and collapse. During this stage, the downdraft dominates the updraft and the storm begins to disappear. Continue reading →