Atmosphere Explorer Expert Cockpit

SELECTED COLUMN · PARCEL / WIND—

SB CAPE—J kg⁻¹

SB CIN—J kg⁻¹

ML CAPE—J kg⁻¹

MU CAPE—J kg⁻¹

0–6 km SHEAR—kt

0–1 km SRH—m² s⁻²

SB LCL—ft AGL

700–500 Γ—°C km⁻¹

Brighter blue means more moisture.Hover: full probe · Click/drag: select column & level · Vertical geometry: linear height MSL

City names = geographic references projected onto the route axis. Terrain = Copernicus GLO-90 sampled along the exact transect; model surface elevation can differ from DEM terrain.

Relative humidityDry · 0%

Moist · 100%

Yellow line = estimated freezing boundary (32°F)Dashed vertical lines = GSO and MHX stations

ANALYSIS INSPECTOR

Selected column / route diagnostics

THERMODYNAMIC / KINEMATIC DIAGNOSTICS

Parcel energetics & kinematics

Computed for selected sounding column · indices are experimental, not operational probabilities.

Greensboro (GSO)—Surface-based CAPE / 0–6 km shear

Selected location—Estimated between profiles

Newport (MHX)—Surface-based CAPE / 0–6 km shear

SB CAPE—J/kg · parcel updraft energy

SB CIN—J/kg · resistance to lift

0–1 km bulk shear—kt · near-ground wind change

0–6 km bulk shear—kt · storm-organization ingredient

SB LCL—ft AGL · lifted surface parcel

Level of free convection (LFC)—ft AGL · parcel/environment temperature crossing

Equilibrium level (EL)—ft AGL · modeled buoyancy returns to neutral

0–3 km Γ—°C/km · low-level cooling aloft

700–500 hPa Γ—°C/km · middle atmosphere

0–1 km SRH—m²/s² · modeled right-moving storm

Additional severe-weather ingredients

Skew-T parcel

Surface-based = one near-ground parcel. Mixed-layer = air averaged through the lowest 100 hPa. Most-unstable = parcel with highest equivalent potential temperature in the lowest 300 hPa. Different parcels can produce very different results, especially with a cool surface layer.

100-hPa mixed-layer CAPE*—J/kg · averaged lower-air parcel

100-hPa mixed-layer CIN*—J/kg · resistance to lift

Most-unstable CAPE*—J/kg · lowest 300 hPa search

Most-unstable CIN*—J/kg · elevated air possible

0–3 km bulk shear—kt · wind difference in lower troposphere

0–3 km SRH*—m²/s² · modeled right-moving storm

ML/MU parcel estimates are experimental and may be unavailable with insufficient pressure levels. Their values are not severe-weather probabilities.

How to read these numbersSelect Updraft energy or Wind shear to explore vertical storm ingredients.

Diagnostic method / limitations

⚠ Diagnostic estimates, not operational sounding indices. The buoyancy cross-section always depicts a SURFACE-based parcel, regardless of the Skew-T parcel selector. LFC is based on the parcel/environment temperature crossing, distinct from the virtual-buoyancy crossing used for CAPE/CIN. A plus sign after CAPE means the parcel remains buoyant at the top of available data, so the displayed energy is only a lower bound. CAPE/CIN for surface-based and ML/MU parcels are experimental, and ML/MU lack broad independent verification; a CAPE value with a + sign includes only the observed/model-provided vertical range when the equilibrium level is unresolved; SRH uses pressure-weighted Bunkers right-moving storm motion (still approximate). Neither these experimental estimates nor any single index can diagnose tornadoes, damaging winds, hail, or whether storms will form. Observed balloon profiles may be hours old; forecast profiles are model estimates. Observed-mode conditions between GSO and MHX are interpolated. Forecast mode samples multiple model gridpoints, with interpolation between adjacent model columns.

SELECTED COLUMN · DERIVED THERMODYNAMICS / STRUCTURE—

0–1 km CAPE—J kg⁻¹ · SB parcel

0–3 km CAPE—J kg⁻¹ · SB parcel

Effective inflow—CAPE≥100 / CIN≥−250

DGZ—−12…−18°C depth

Saturated DGZ—RH ≥80% screen

Warm nose—max Tw / layer depth

Refreeze layer—sub-0°C Tw below warm layer

0°C level—lowest T crossing AGL

−10°C level—lowest T crossing AGL

−20°C level—lowest T crossing AGL

Jet max—3–15 km AGL

Thermal tropopause—WMO-style lapse-rate estimate

Strongest inversion—0–5 km · 500 m layer

θe @ cursor—K · selected level

Terrain—ft MSL · Copernicus GLO-90

Derived fields inherit RAOB/model resolution. Effective inflow and parcel energetics remain experimental; DGZ saturation is an RH screening layer, not an ice-supersaturation calculation.

SELECTED COLUMN · EXPERT KINEMATICS—

Transect bearing—A→B · degrees true

RM motion—Bunkers · toward / kt

0–2 km SR wind—pressure-weighted mean

4–6 km SR wind—pressure-weighted mean

Effective bulk shear—effective base → ½ storm depth

Effective SRH—effective inflow layer

Critical angle*—surface proxy / 0–500 m shear

Along V @ cursor—+ toward B

Cross V @ cursor—+ right of A→B

SR wind @ cursor—relative to Bunkers RM

Along/cross components are resolved relative to the geographic A→B transect. Critical angle uses the model/RAOB surface wind as a 10-m proxy and is therefore approximate. Effective-layer diagnostics inherit the experimental CAPE/CIN screening already used by this page.

SELECTED COLUMN · VERTICAL MOTION—

Ω @ cursor—Pa/s · − ascent

w @ cursor—m/s · + upward

Max ascent—minimum Ω / level

Max descent—maximum Ω / level

700–500 mean Ω—Pa/s

Moist ascent max—RH ≥ 80%

Open-Meteo pressure-level vertical velocity is model geometric w. ENC Weather converts it to approximate pressure vertical velocity Ω using Ω ≈ −ρgw. Negative Ω indicates ascent. This diagnoses model/grid-scale vertical motion; it is not a thunderstorm updraft-speed product.

SELECTED COLUMN · MOISTURE TRANSPORT—

q @ cursor—g/kg · specific humidity

PWAT—mm · integrated column vapor

IVT magnitude—kg m⁻¹ s⁻¹

IVT toward—vector direction

Along-transect IVT—+ toward B

Cross-transect IVT—+ right of A→B

1-D IVT convergence—10⁻³ kg m⁻² s⁻¹ · + convergence

Max route convergence—1-D component / location

PWAT and IVT are pressure-integrated through the available profile. IVT uses specific humidity and the horizontal wind vector. The convergence value is only the along-transect component (−∂IVT∥/∂s); it is not the full two-dimensional moisture-flux convergence/divergence field.

SELECTED θ SURFACE · ISENTROPIC ANALYSIS—

θ surface K Highlight selected θ surface

Pressure on θ—hPa · selected column

Height on θ—ft MSL / AGL

RH / q on θ—% / g kg⁻¹

Wind on θ—from / kt

Along / cross wind—kt · A→B frame

θ-surface slope—ft / 100 km · + rises toward B

∂p/∂s on θ—hPa / 100 km · A→B

∂q/∂s on θ—g kg⁻¹ / 100 km

1-D pressure advection—Pa s⁻¹ · − upglide / + downglide

Flow regime—route-component diagnostic

Moist upglide max—RH ≥70% · value / location

Surface coverage—fraction of transect with this θ

This is a 1-D transect component of isentropic analysis. Negative pressure advection means the along-transect wind carries air toward lower pressure on the selected θ surface (upglide); positive means downglide. True isentropic vertical motion is two-dimensional and the θ surface itself evolves, so this is a diagnostic—not a replacement for model Ω.

2-D MODEL RIBBON · UPPER-LEVEL FORCINGNot loaded

Model forecast mode only · current valid time

500 hPa abs vort—10⁻⁵ s⁻¹

500 hPa vort adv—10⁻⁹ s⁻² · + PVA

850 hPa vort adv—10⁻⁹ s⁻² · + PVA

DVA · 500−850—10⁻⁹ s⁻² · + increases aloft

DVA · 300−500—10⁻⁹ s⁻²

850 hPa T adv—°C / 3 h · + warm

700 hPa T adv—°C / 3 h · + warm

Forcing regime—DVA / thermal-advection context

Max +DVA on route—magnitude / distance from A

Ribbon stencil—along × cross / spacing

This is a 2-D finite-difference model ribbon, not a 1-D proxy. ENC Weather samples a narrow grid on both sides of the transect, derives relative + planetary vorticity, absolute-vorticity advection and thermal advection, then reports differential vorticity advection. Positive 500−850-hPa DVA is classically consistent with QG ascent forcing, but this is not a solved QG omega equation; resolution, stencil orientation and model error matter.

TRANSECT · BAROCLINIC / FRONTAL STRUCTURE—

∂T/∂s @ cursor—°C / 100 km · A→B

∂θe/∂s @ cursor—K / 100 km · A→B

∂θ/∂s @ cursor—K / 100 km · A→B

Max |∂θe/∂s| ≤3 km—magnitude / location

Max |∂T/∂s| ≤3 km—magnitude / location

Reference isentrope—300 K · height MSL

Isentrope slope—ft / 100 km · + rises toward B

Gradient axis—strongest low-level θe gradient

These are 1-D diagnostics along the selected transect. They identify strong thermal/moist gradients and sloping isentropes, but they are not a full frontogenesis calculation; true frontogenesis requires the full horizontal gradient/deformation field and its evolution.

LAYER METADATA

Where is the air moist?

Moist air is closer to becoming saturated. Saturated air can support clouds when the right conditions exist. This is not an actual cloud map.

VERTICAL TRANSECT | Model & RAOB analysis

Define transect endpoints