CAPE INDEX
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Yesterday, I performed a flight from LGIR airport ( CRETE GREECE ) towards the ULLI ( S. Petersburg Russia ) . I was amazed from the weather that I've encounter over BULGARIA and ROMANIA , and by the strength and intensity of the THUNDERSTORM activity over there. We were flying at FL380 and the top of the thunderstorm cells were up to FL430. The index we saw on the site ( CAPE) was quite accurate , and to be honest, on the initial briefing I thought that it was quite exadurating. I mean when you see an index of more than 5500 Joules/Kg , you think that you are operating in a tropical climate, and not in Europe.
But how true it was. Amazing and vicious thunderstorms over there, which led to a deviation of more than 200 NM . Absolutely impenetrable!
Honestly makes you wonder about the change in climate which is happening already.
I will share with you something about the CAPE index which you can easily find on the web to enlarge your knowledge.
In meteorology, convective available potential energy (CAPE), sometimes, simply, available potential energy (APE), is the amount of energy a parcel of air would have if lifted a certain distance vertically through the atmosphere. CAPE is effectively the positive buoyancy of an air parcel and is an indicator of atmospheric instability, which makes it very valuable in predicting severe weather.
Thank you very much !
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@CaptainNKT
Yes Captain! you are right!
As an aviation meteorologist since 1987, I crosscheck pilots reports and cloud tops from Sign. Weather Charts and I see a big improvement in the accuracy - thanks to weather models (the mathematicians who "make" the models and the meteorologists who "translate" the data into charts).
Especially for the CBs you describe over the Balkans, you may remember that these days we had a heat wave in the area that gave a good amount of "fuel" at the lower troposphere.
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@meteo-GR absolutely right! Thank you very much indeed !
Wishes for a pleasant and "WX mild" summer !
