What is the correct order of the main stages of a thunderstorm from earliest to latest?

• A. Cumulus, Mature, Dissipating
• B. Mature, Cumulus, Dissipating
• C. Dissipating, Cumulus, Mature
• D. Cumulus, Dissipating, Mature

Answer: (A)

Thunderstorms develop in a clear progression: they start with a cumulus stage, then advance to a mature stage, and finally enter a dissipating stage. In the cumulus stage, warm, moist air rises in an updraft and the cloud builds upward with little precipitation. As the storm intensifies and precipitation begins, downdrafts form while updrafts continue, marking the mature stage—the strongest phase with heavy rain, thunder, and often hail. Eventually the supply of warm moist air is exhausted and the updraft weakens, leading to the dissipating stage, where precipitation tapers off and the storm fades.

So the earliest to latest order is cumulus, followed by mature, then dissipating. The other sequences mix in the stages out of order (for example, placing the mature stage before the cloud has formed or placing dissipating activity before the storm has fully developed), which doesn’t reflect how a thunderstorm actually evolves.