How high in the atmosphere can the tops of thunderheads reach?

Answer 1

Thunderstorms form when there is a decent amount of moisture, some instability in the air above, and low wind sheer (winds up above that can tear apart a storm). How tall a thunderstorm reaches depends on how unstable the air is, how strong an updraft it has, and what the winds are like up in the air. The taller a thunderstorm, the stronger it is and the more hail, lightning, strong winds, and tornado potential.

An average thunderstorm reaches at least 20,000 (<4mi) feet before it becomes a true thunderstorm. This would most likely be a small, weak thunderstorm. Strong thunderstorms reach above 40,000 feet (7.5 mi), which is higher than most passenger aircraft fly. Thunderstorms that grow tall eventually come in contact with the jet stream (a 200 mph current of air 6-12 mi above the earth). If they are able to punch through it, they will get even taller. The jet stream will fan out the top of a storm, giving it an anvil. Usually, thunderstorms with anvils are strong and could very well have hail, especially in spring. In spring or fall, a thunderstorm usually encounters the freezing line before the jet stream, and hail will form. Severe thunderstorms can reach 50,000 feet (9.5 mi). This height is well out of the troposphere (where most weather happens, and where we live), and into the stratosphere. No aircraft except specialized military jets fly this high. It is so high up, that pilots need to wear something like a space suit, because the pressure is so low that high.

Now for the extremes. Mid-latitudes (continental U.S.) do not have as tall thunderstorms as low-latitudes (tropics). The tallest thunderstorms measure at mid-lat were in a severe squall line with tornadic thunderheads. 9.3 - 10.6 mi high! (up to 55,000 ft.) That's as high as most military jets will go. Hurricanes usually carry the tallest thunderstorms. Cyclone Hilda near Australia in 1990 had a thunderhead 12 mi high! (63,000 ft) At that high up, the air is extremely cold. The temp was recorded at -100 C! (-212 F) That's so cold that if there was more pressure, the air would turn into a liquid. Outer space is about as cold.

The tallest thunderstorms ever, though, form in tropical nothern Australia and Indonesia. These clouds have reached 13.6 mi (72,000 ft)! No aircraft except specialized military jets or rockets fly this high. It is so high up, that pilots need to wear something like a space suit, because the pressure is so low at that altitude.

Answer 2

Thunderheads

Answer 3

Ordinary thunderstorms would probably be around 30,000 feet whereas supercell thunderstorms would typically reach altitudes of 40,000 - 50,000 feet(they can exist higher than that), their max height being wherever the tropopause is at that location (although due to vigorous updrafts you may often have overshooting tops in which case the updrafts poke through to the stratosphere).

Answer 4

Thunderheads, or Cumulonimbus clouds that are seen during thunderstorms, can reach up to 75,000 feet (23,000 meters) in vey extreme cases, but usually peak at lower heights. They usually begin to form at 10,000 to 12,000 feet(3,000 to 4,000 metres). Pretty neat!



Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Bean took the words right out of my mouth. Listen to Bean.

Answer 6

50,000 to 70,000 ft, or 10 to 14 miles high.