The lifted condensation level is the height where a rising unsaturated parcel cools to its dew point. Above it, condensation releases latent heat, so the parcel cools more slowly along a moist adiabat.

Why can a sounding have CAPE but still not storm?

A warm layer can create CIN: the parcel is negatively buoyant before it reaches free convection. Without lift, surface heating, or erosion of the cap, the atmosphere may remain conditionally unstable but not convect.

CAPE is the vertical integral of buoyant acceleration. Since m²/s² equals J/kg, it approximates the kinetic-energy-per-mass reservoir available to an ideal rising parcel.

Is this a real Skew-T calculator?

No. It keeps the key geometry and diagnostics but simplifies moisture, virtual temperature, pressure coordinates, entrainment, and microphysics for interactive teaching.

Atmospheric Stability / Parcel Diagram

This parcel diagram is a compact teaching analogue of a Skew-T sounding. The environmental temperature profile is controlled by a surface temperature, an environmental lapse rate, and an optional warm cap. A lifted surface parcel cools dry adiabatically at about 9.8 K/km until it reaches the lifted condensation level (LCL), estimated from the surface temperature and dew point. Above the LCL, the parcel follows an approximate saturated moist adiabat computed from a temperature- and pressure-dependent moist lapse rate. Buoyancy is evaluated as B = g(T_p − T_e)/T_e, using temperature as a simplified virtual-temperature proxy. Positive buoyancy integrated over height gives CAPE, while negative buoyancy below the level of free convection gives CIN. The LFC, equilibrium level, and 500 hPa Lifted Index are diagnostic markers. The page is deliberately qualitative: it omits entrainment, ice microphysics, pressure-coordinate exactness, wind shear, convective inhibition erosion, and full virtual-temperature/moisture corrections.

Who it's for: Meteorology, atmospheric science, hazards, and environmental physics students learning parcel theory, CAPE/CIN, and sounding interpretation.

Key terms

Skew-T
Parcel theory
Dry adiabat
Moist adiabat
LCL
LFC
CAPE
CIN
Lifted Index
Capping inversion

Live graphs

How it works

Atmospheric stability parcel diagram: dry and moist adiabatic parcel path, LCL, LFC, equilibrium level, CAPE, CIN, and Lifted Index.

Key equations

below LCL: Γ_d ≈ 9.8 K/km; above LCL: Γ_m(T,p)

CAPE = ∫ max(B,0) dz, CIN = −∫ min(B,0) dz, B=g(T_p−T_e)/T_e

Frequently asked questions

What does LCL mean?: The lifted condensation level is the height where a rising unsaturated parcel cools to its dew point. Above it, condensation releases latent heat, so the parcel cools more slowly along a moist adiabat.
Why can a sounding have CAPE but still not storm?: A warm layer can create CIN: the parcel is negatively buoyant before it reaches free convection. Without lift, surface heating, or erosion of the cap, the atmosphere may remain conditionally unstable but not convect.
Why is CAPE in J/kg?: CAPE is the vertical integral of buoyant acceleration. Since m²/s² equals J/kg, it approximates the kinetic-energy-per-mass reservoir available to an ideal rising parcel.
Is this a real Skew-T calculator?: No. It keeps the key geometry and diagnostics but simplifies moisture, virtual temperature, pressure coordinates, entrainment, and microphysics for interactive teaching.

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