Editing Thunderstorm (section)

=== Developing stage ===
[[File:Cumulus congestus to cumulonimbus incus.png|thumb|A [[cumulus congestus]]' transformation into a mature [[cumulonimbus incus]]]]

The first stage of a thunderstorm is the cumulus stage or developing stage. During this stage, masses of moisture are lifted upwards into the atmosphere. The trigger for this lift can be [[insolation|solar illumination]], where the heating of the ground produces [[thermals]], or where two winds converge forcing air upwards, or where winds blow over terrain of increasing elevation. The moisture carried upward cools into liquid drops of water due to lower temperatures at high altitude, which appear as ''[[Cumulus cloud|cumulus]]'' clouds. As the water vapor condenses into liquid, [[latent heat]] is released, which warms the air, causing it to become less dense than the surrounding, drier air. The air tends to rise in an ''[[updraft]]'' through the process of [[Atmospheric convection|convection]] (hence the term [[Precipitation (meteorology)|convective precipitation]]). This process creates a [[low pressure area|low-pressure zone]] within and beneath the forming thunderstorm. In a typical thunderstorm, approximately 500 million kilograms of water vapor are lifted into the [[Earth's atmosphere]].<ref name="condensationenergy">{{cite web|url=http://physics.syr.edu/courses/modules/ENERGY/ENERGY_POLICY/tables.html |title=Rough Values of Various Processes |author=Gianfranco Vidali |date=2009 |access-date=31 August 2009 |publisher=[[Syracuse University]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315113421/http://physics.syr.edu/courses/modules/ENERGY/ENERGY_POLICY/tables.html |archive-date=15 March 2010 }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=April 2024|reason=The source is a list of power values, none of which pertain to thunderstorm moisture or energy.}}