ABSTRACT
Cumulonimbus clouds are tall electrically charged clouds also known as single-cell thunderstorms. The strong central updraft of the single-cell thunderstorm is accompanied at lower levels by precipitation, such as heavy rain and lightning, producing thunder that occurs only when ice crystals are present. Heavy rain occurs as droplets in initial condensation collide with each other to form larger drops that increasingly rapidly fall downward creating, by their drag effect, a downdraft. A basic unit in meteorology is the single convective cell. The cumulonimbus thunderstorm arises as warm moist air rises into a cooler region above and loses its water content by condensation and release of precipitation and heat. Long-lasting convective cells would require restoration of the excess humidity at the base and of the cool dryness at the top of cell. Two situations allow long-lasting convective structures. One is hurricane, where a group of thunderstorms arrange in a circle over water and draw in moist air from the surrounding region.
