FAA Ground School Practice Test

The mature stage of a thunderstorm begins with what event?

1. Strong winds

2. The start of precipitation

3. Development of an updraft

4. Increasing cloud height

The correct answer is: The start of precipitation

The mature stage of a thunderstorm is characterized by a well-defined mechanism that leads to the onset of significant weather phenomena. The correct event marking the beginning of this stage is the start of precipitation. At this point, the storm has developed a strong updraft that has reached sufficient height to allow moisture in the cloud to condense into water droplets. Once the droplets become heavy enough, they fall as precipitation, which signals the transition to the mature stage. During this stage, the thunderstorm intensifies, and features such as heavy rain, lightning, and possibly severe weather conditions can occur. This point indicates that the storm has developed fully, and it is at its most powerful and organized phase. While strong winds, increasing cloud height, and the development of updrafts are important aspects of a thunderstorm's lifecycle, they occur before the storm reaches its mature stage. Thus, the initiation of precipitation is the definitive signal that the storm has entered its mature phase.