Convective Inhibition as a Predictor of Convection during AVE-SESAME II

Abstract

The AVE-SESAME 11 data set of 19 April 1979 is examined to determine the thermodynamic conditions prior to the onset of deep convection in western Kansas. The observations indicate that the convective region was characterized locally by substantial potential convective energy and low convective inhibition above the boundary layer. One-dimensional modeling shows that the convection occurred where the convective inhibition was a minimum, but not where the potential convective energy was a maximum. The model results suggest that the convective inhibition above the boundary layer was almost zero when the first echoes were observed.