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Severe Weather Ingredients

Severe storms need four ingredients to come together. This lesson shows you which maps reveal each one.

Intermediate·12 minPlus
  1. 1

    Moisture

    Start with surface dewpoints. Values in the 60s °F or higher usually provide enough fuel.

  2. 2

    Instability

    Check CAPE and mid-level lapse rates for how strong updrafts can become.

  3. 3

    Lift

    Find fronts, drylines, and upper-level disturbances that can trigger storms.

  4. 4

    Shear

    Use bulk shear and helicity to judge whether storms can organize and rotate.

Terms in this lesson

CAPECINBulk ShearStorm-Relative HelicitySupercell

Maps used

2 m DewpointCAPE (Surface-Based / Most-Unstable)0–6 km Bulk Shear0–3 km Storm-Relative HelicitySignificant Tornado Parameter
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