Which of the following lists the three stages of a thunderstorm?

• A. Cumulus stage; Dissipating stage; Mature stage
• B. Mature stage; Cumulus stage; Dissipating stage
• C. Cumulus stage; Mature stage; Dissipating stage
• D. Dissipating stage; Cumulus stage; Mature stage

Answer: (C)

Thunderstorms develop in a clear growth-and-wate cycle: they begin with rising warm moist air forming a cumulus cloud, then intensify into a full storm, and finally fade as the energy supply runs out. In the initial stage, updrafts lift air high enough to form a recognizable cumulus cloud with little or no precipitation yet. As moisture continues to condense and latent heat fuels the process, the storm becomes mature, with both strong updrafts and downdrafts, heavy rain, thunder, and lightning—the peak of its activity. When the supply of warm, moist air diminishes, downdrafts dominate, the storm can’t sustain itself, and it enters the dissipating stage, gradually drying out and weakening as precipitation falls off and the cloud thins.

If a choice starts with the mature stage or with the dissipating stage, it’s not reflecting the natural sequence—from growth to full development to fading. The correct option lists the stages exactly in their progression: cumulus first, then mature, then dissipating.