Why can thunderstorms only grow as high as they do?

Question

I just saw a thunderstorm near where I live yesterday on flightaware radar that said the top was 60,000 feet, and wondered why a thunderstorm that powerful, can only grow that high. What made it stop at 60,000?

Answer 1

The troposhpere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere, is where most weather happens. That's because air down here can become 'unstable' and allow clouds and such to form. However, once you get past the troposphere and into the stratosphere air becomes very, very stable and forces the air creating the clouds back down into the lower layer. The stratosphere can occasionally become slightly unstable but not by much. Without that instability thunderstorms hit a cap past the troposphere and are forced to spread out instead of up, creating the anvil shape of thunderstorms

Answer 2

Isn't that the whole point of the storm?  Once the cloud gets so tall, it has to come back down.

Answer 3

The atmosphere dude!  Eventually there is no air, no moisture, and clouds are made of water.