Sensitivities of Simulated Convective Storms to Environmental CAPE

AbstractA set of 225 idealized three-dimensional cloud-resolving simulations is used to explore convective storm behavior in environments with various values of CAPE (450, 800, 2000, and 3200 J kg−1). The simulations show that when CAPE = 2000 J kg−1 or greater, numerous combinations of other environmental parameters can support updrafts of at least 10 m s−1 throughout an entire 2-h simulation. At CAPE = 450 J kg−1, it is very difficult to obtain strong storms, although one case featuring a supercell is found. For CAPE = 800 J kg−1, mature storm updraft speeds correlate positively with strong low-level lapse rates and reduced precipitable water. In some cases, updrafts at this CAPE value can reach speeds that rival predictions of parcel theory, but such efficient conversion of CAPE to kinetic energy does not extend to all storms at CAPE = 800 J kg−1, nor to any storms in simulations at lower or higher CAPE. In simulations with CAPE = 2000 or 3200 J kg−1, the strongest time-averaged mature updrafts, while ...