"Thunderstorms are the "tallest" weather phenomena that we experience here on the ground. An "average" height of thunderstorms is 30,000, however, depending on atmospheric conditions (i.e., the height of the tropopause) some thunderstorms can reach as high as 50,000 to 60,000 feet over the central U.S. and in the tropics near the equator. In some stronger thunderstorms, the upward vertical motion in them can "punch" through the tropopause and will actually penetrate into the stratosphere before stopping their upward growth."[1]
"The Airbus SAS A330-200, with 228 on board, appears to have flown into or near a large cluster of thunderstorms northeast of Fernando de Noronha, located off Brazil’s coast, according to AccuWeather.com.
Updrafts may have reached 100 mph, and the storms, stretching for over 400 miles (644 kilometers), towered as high as 50,000 feet, according to the weather service." [2]
Airbus A330 Service Ceiling: 39,370 ft (12,000 m) [3]
"The Airbus SAS A330-200, with 228 on board, appears to have flown into or near a large cluster of thunderstorms northeast of Fernando de Noronha, located off Brazil’s coast, according to AccuWeather.com.
Updrafts may have reached 100 mph, and the storms, stretching for over 400 miles (644 kilometers), towered as high as 50,000 feet, according to the weather service." [2]
Airbus A330 Service Ceiling: 39,370 ft (12,000 m) [3]
[1] http://www.srh.noaa.gov/shv/Past_Questions_FOUR.htm
[2] http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aFSn...
[3] http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/jetliner/a330/