How high is the top of a cumulonimbus cloud?
39000 feet
They can exist as individual towers or form a line of towers called a squall line. Fueled by vigorous convective updrafts (sometimes in excess 50 miles/hour), the tops of cumulonimbus clouds can easily reach 39000 feet (12000 meters) or higher.
How high do storm clouds go?
Peaks typically reach to as much as 12,000 m (39,000 ft), with extreme instances as high as 21,000 m (69,000 ft) or more. Well-developed cumulonimbus clouds are characterized by a flat, anvil-like top (anvil dome), caused by wind shear or inversion near the tropopause.
Why do cumulonimbus clouds build up high into the atmosphere?
When warm, moist air moves upward in an updraft, puffy cumulus clouds may form in the atmosphere. The moisture in the air condenses into water droplets as it rises. The cloud will continue to grow as long as warm air from below continues to rise.
What altitude is cumulus?
between 1,000 and 5,000ft
Cumulus. These clouds usually form at altitudes between 1,000 and 5,000ft, though often temperature rises after formation lead to an increase in cloud base height. These clouds are generally formed by air rising as a result of surface heating and may occasionally produce light showers.
How tall are cumulonimbus clouds when they form?
It is often accompanied by lightning, thunderstorms, and severe tornadoes. They are also called thunderheads because of their unique shape. They are low- to middle-level clouds that rise up to as high as 14 miles. They are the largest of all clouds, which are formed from cumulus clouds, and are the base for tornadoes.
Can a cumulonimbus cloud produce hail and lightning?
More commonly known as thunderclouds, cumulonimbus is the only cloud type that can produce hail, thunder and lightning. The base of the cloud is often flat, with a very dark wall-like feature hanging underneath, and may only lie a few hundred feet above the Earth’s surface.
When does a cumulonimbus cloud become a supercell?
When cumulonimbus clouds develop even further they can result in a supercell, which are also referred to as rotating thunderstorms – extremely severe storms that can cause extreme damage. Cumulonimbus clouds are classified as D2, which means they are vertically developed, and the abbreviation is Cb.
Why do cumulonimbus clouds collapse in a tornado?
The clouds start collapsing as there is no release of latent heat due to freezing of the water droplets. The source of moisture gets cut off, and the rising of clouds ceases. This results in the decay or collapse of a thunderstorm or tornado. Other species of cumulonimbus clouds include: