Editing Thunderstorm (section)

=== Dissipating stage ===
[[File:Single-cell Thunderstorm in a No-shear Environment..jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|A thunderstorm in an environment with no winds to shear the storm or blow the anvil in any one direction]]
[[File:Flanking line on dissipating cumulonimbus incus cloud.jpg|thumb|[[Flanking line (meteorology)|Flanking line]] in front of a dissipating [[cumulonimbus incus]] cloud]]

In the dissipation stage, the thunderstorm is dominated by the downdraft. If atmospheric conditions do not support super cellular development, this stage occurs rather quickly, approximately 20–30 minutes into the life of the thunderstorm. The downdraft will push down out of the thunderstorm, hit the ground and spread out. This phenomenon is known as a [[downburst]]. The cool air carried to the ground by the downdraft cuts off the inflow of the thunderstorm, the updraft disappears and the thunderstorm will dissipate. Thunderstorms in an atmosphere with virtually no vertical wind shear weaken as soon as they send out an outflow boundary in all directions, which then quickly cuts off its [[inflow (meteorology)|inflow]] of relatively warm, moist air, and kills the thunderstorm's further growth.<ref>{{cite web|author=The Weather World 2010 Project|publisher=University of Illinois|url=http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/svr/comp/wind/home.rxml|title=Vertical Wind Shear|access-date=21 October 2006|date=3 September 2009}}</ref> The downdraft hitting the ground creates an [[outflow boundary]]. This can cause downbursts, a potential hazardous condition for aircraft to fly through, as a substantial change in wind speed and direction occurs, resulting in a decrease of airspeed and the subsequent reduction in lift for the aircraft. The stronger the [[outflow boundary]] is, the stronger the resultant vertical wind shear becomes.<ref>{{cite book|author=T. T. Fujita|date=1985|title=The Downburst, microburst and macroburst: SMRP Research Paper 210|author-link=Ted Fujita}}</ref>