National Weather Service - Severe Weather Parameters NWS Wakefield, VA

Severe Weather Parameter Thresholds

If you are interested in keeping up with the information we follow during a severe weather

event, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has created a top-notch mesoanalysis page for

the public to use. Click here for the page specifically for the southeast U.S. The following

are thresholds for typical parameters we look at to try and make a decision whether the

environment is conducive to producing severe weather. Remember, no one parameter

being met means severe weather will rear its ugly head. Multiple parameters need to

be met, especially when it comes to the perfect balance between instability and shear.

We'll start there (click on the title of each for definitions):

CAPE
(Convective Available
Potential Energy)

Shear Parameters
(The following are good to follow for
potential supercell formation)

After weighing the balance between instability and shear, there are a number of other parameters

to analyze for thunderstorm/supercell potential:

Back-to-Back Pacific Storms to Impact the West Coast; Heavy Snow in the Central Appalachians