National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Significant and Catastrophic Flooding in the Pacific Northwest; Very Cold Temperatures in the Northern Plains

The atmospheric river over the Pacific Northwest will begin to subside today, but lingering rainfall will exacerbate ongoing catastrophic major river flooding, and landslides will continue across portions of western Washington and northwest Oregon for several days. Arctic air will plummet southward into the Northern Plains today, bringing cold air in the single digits to the region by Friday. 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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