How a Thunderstorm Forms, Step by Step | RainViewer Blog

TL;DR: A storm cell always runs through the same three stages, and the process starts hours before the first thunderclap. Developing stage: warm, humid air rises and condenses into a cumulus cloud Mature stage: a cumulonimbus with updrafts and downdrafts, heavy rain, hail and lightning Dissipating stage: falling precipitation cuts the cell off from the warm air feeding it Hail only grows where the updraft holds an ice pellet aloft long enough Cells regenerating over the same spot are a common cause of local flooding A thunderstorm does not appear out of nowhere. Behind every dark cloud that su