A C172 PILOT REPORTS TSTM ACTIVITY; ACFT TFC; AND PARACHUTE JUMPERS NEAR CCC VOR CREATED A SERIES OF CONFLICTS FOR HIS FLT.

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I WAS ON COURSE BTWN 2 ARPTS THAT HAVE PARACHUTE JUMPING -- CALVERTON AND SPADARO. ATC WAS FOLLOWING ME ON RADAR AND HAD ADVISED THAT BOTH ARPTS HAD PARACHUTING IN PROGRESS. CONDITIONS FOR A DIRECT APCH WERE CLR; BUT THERE WAS A TOWERING (5000-6000 FT TOP) CUMULUS CLOUD APPROX 1 MI TO OUR N; WITH A BOTTOM AROUND 1800 FT AGL. I WAS AT 2800 FT IN LEVEL FLT. WE WERE EXPERIENCING SOME LIGHT TURB BUT WERE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE RAPID GROWTH OF THIS MASSIVE SINGULAR CLOUD WHICH COVERED FROM 1 MI TO OUR N TO WELL BEYOND THE AREA. ATC WAS EXTREMELY BUSY AND WE HEARD RPTS NEARBY OF MANY TARGETS INCLUDING 6 PLANES IN FRONT OF ANOTHER ACFT SOMEWHERE IN THE AREA UNDER HIS CTL. KEEPING AN EYE OUT FOR PLANES AND JUMPERS; WE SPOTTED JUMPERS WITH PARACHUTES OPEN; SLOWLY DRIFTING DOWN TO THE ARPT WHICH WAS TO OUR S AND NOT IN OUR PATH OF FLT. WE WATCHED AS THEY DSNDED AND STEERED AS FAR N AS WE COULD WITHOUT COMING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE CLOUD. KNOWING WE WOULD PASS WELL N OF THE JUMPERS AT ALMOST 110 KTS GND SPD; WE KEPT ON COURSE. JUST AT THE TIME WE WERE ALMOST DIRECTLY N OF THE JUMPERS AT ABOUT 3000 FT HORIZ AND WE WERE ABOUT 2000 FT BELOW; ATC ASKED US IF WE WERE AWARE OF THE JUMPERS AND I SAID YES; BUT THEY ADVISED US TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION FROM OUR 270 DEG HDG TO 360 DEGS; WHICH I COMPLIED WITH IMMEDIATELY WHILE MAKING SURE TO ALSO AVOID THE CLOUD. THIS DEV PUT US SHORTLY THEREAFTER INTO THE DIRECT PATH OF A CESSNA NOT UNDER ATC CTL BUT BEING TRACKED BY THEM AT 1800 FT AGL AND CLBING. WE NOW HAD TO AVOID THE CLOUD; WHICH WE DID; AND THE PLANE WHICH PASSED SOMEWHERE AROUND 500+ FT DIRECTLY BELOW WITH NO NOTICE FROM ATC. BESIDES ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS TO AVOID THE ARPTS WHEN I FIRST RPTED; THERE WERE NO FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM ATC UNTIL THEY ASKED IF I WAS AWARE OF THE JUMPERS. UPON LNDG; I CALLED THE NUMBER GIVEN TO ME BY ATC TO RPT; AS THEY PUT IT; A 'POSSIBLE DEV;' EXPLAINED THE SITUATION; AND ASKED IF ANY FURTHER ACTION WAS NEEDED. THEY SAID NO AND THE CALL WAS ENDED. I HAVE BEEN FLYING IN THIS AIRSPACE FOR 7 YRS. I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE RTE AND ALL LANDMARKS. THERE WAS NO UPDATES ON THE JUMPERS OR ANY NEED FOR A FLT PATH CHANGE ONCE THE JUMPER PLANE RPTED JUMPERS AWAY. I DO NOT REMEMBER ANTHER TIME WHEN BOTH ARPTS HAD JUMPERS AROUND AT THE SAME TIME; WHILE NUMEROUS PLANES WERE IN THE AREA AND ATC WAS TOTALLY ABSORBED IN DIRECTING NUMEROUS PLANES AS THEY SHOULD BE.