🔍 Key Concepts

• Stages of thunderstorm development: cumulus (towering), mature, dissipating • How cumulus clouds change in shape, size, and color as they grow into thunderstorms • The meaning of anvil tops and downdrafts in thunderstorm life cycle

💭 Think About

• Which option best describes a cumulus cloud that is in the process of becoming a thunderstorm, rather than one that is already fully developed or dissipating? • At what point in a thunderstorm’s life cycle do strong downdrafts typically reach the ground, compared to when vertical growth and anvil formation occur? • Does every growing cumulus cloud produce all the listed features at the same time, or do some features come earlier/later in development?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which choices describe early vertical growth of a cumulus cloud versus later thunderstorm stages • Consider when cold downdrafts are most noticeable at the surface in relation to thunderstorm maturity • Ask whether an anvil top forms at the very start of thunderstorm development or after the cloud has already reached great height