"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
O. Sami Saydjari wrote:

Thunderstorm season is up us. I get a little concerned when I see
towering cumulus clouds forming in my flight path because I know that
towering cumulus clouds can turn into thunderstorms.

....snip...

2. Do most towering cumulus clouds not mature into thunderstorms?

Yes, very few make it to a full-blown thunderstorm. Part of it depends on
your definition of towering. To me a 6,000 foot tall clouds is towering,
but if you mean 50,000 feet, then few probably get that high without
becoming a thunderstorm.

..... "...if you mean 50,000 feet....", then probably ALL will be a
thunderstorm. Few clouds-of-vertical-development will exceed 30,000 feet
ASL without characteristics of a "thunderstorm".