National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Flash Flooding Risk Continues in Texas; Wildfire Smoke Impacts in the East

Widespread, life-threatening considerable flash flooding is expected in south-central Texas through at least Friday. Catastrophic river flooding and rapid rises on small streams, arroyos, and typically dry washes are expected in the Texas Hill Country. Wildfire smoke is impacting air quality across much of the Great Lakes region into the Northeast U.S. with Air Quality Alerts in effect. Read More >

Automatically generated image showing areas of convective available potential energy.

 

Thumbnail of an automatically generated image showing areas of convective available potential energy. Thumbnail of an automatically generated image showing areas of convective available potential energy. Thumbnail of an automatically generated image showing areas of convective available potential energy.
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4 Panel Display | Animated Loop

CAPE 

This is a surface based Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) measurement only.  In the cool season, elevated instability may be much higher than surface based cape.

On average, CAPE of 1000 J/Kg is usually sufficient for strong to severe storms. CAPE of 3,000 to 4,000 J/Kg or higher is usually a signal of a very volatile atmosphere that could produce severe storms if other environmental parameters are in place.

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