How high are the thunderstorm cloud tops in hurricanes?

[Huckster]

I guess this varies depending on the latitude. Does anyone know how high the highest thunderstorms get? How high do the tops of supercells here in the US generally go? I'm sure someone here knows, but not me

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

60k some of the higher ones.

[TS Zack]

If you look at some old images of the circulation of Katrina. It had a circulation up to 100MB. Pretty amazing!

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

Outflow cirus maybe Which is the upper level high that builds on top of katrina.

[P.K.]

This SIGMET from Severe TC Monica warned of cloud tops to 18.3km.

WCAU01 ABRF 201225
YBBB SIGMET BN03 VALID 201300/201900 YBRF-
BRISBANE FIR TC MONICA S1348E14024 AT 1200Z FRQ CB TOP FL600 WITHIN
150 NM OF CENTRE MOV NW 03KT INTSF. OUTLOOK TC CENTRE 210000
S1329E13948 210600 S1311E13929
STS:REV SIGMET BN02 200700/201300

[Aslkahuna]

There were overshoots in Katrina (as well as Rita and Wilma) at peak intensity with temperatures in the -90 to -95C range or about the same as the coldest tops in Tip and the other extreme typhoon and JTWC estimated that those storms had tops to 65k. In the interior US, tops of extreme supercells frequently overshoot to around 60+k (even here in AZ we've seen tops over 60k in extreme monsoon storms. Maximum tops on rare occasions have reached the 70k range. Even higher tops have been reported by SR-71 pilots when they were flying over SE Asia. Have to remember that the Tropical Tropopause can often be above 55k.

Steve

[Downdraft]

A relatively recent study is of what are called "hot towers" in the eye walls of certain hurricanes. These towers have reached heights of 9 miles and according to NASA precede stronger wind developing at the surface. One link is at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12818816/

You can also Google search on hurricane hot towers for plenty of other sites showing these amazing cloud formations.

[Jim Cantore]

Wilma had the highest on record I think, how high were those?

[Recurve]

I think it might be pertinent to say that tops can start to blow off at 25 thousand feet in summer thunderstorms, that 40,000-foot or so tops are considered typical for cells in storm fronts. And, NOAA purchased the Gulfstream IV jets for reconnaisance over hurricanes because the jet can fly to 40-50,000 feet, higher than many aircraft and high enough to fly over most convection tops, even in hurricanes -- if I'm not totally misinformed (not being a pilot or a cloud top).

Records of tops at 60 or 70 or 100 thousand feet are relevant too, but some information on basic thunderstorm heights was implied in the question.