Dynamics or Instability?

[Jeff Lawson]

If it's a matter of choosing between one of two unbalanced setups, I'd rather have high instability. I think most of us have experienced the frustration of high shear, low instability rat races. High instability, low shear days have a tendency to surprise, however - and even if you have a hard time getting a storm to spin up on one of these days, severe weather is practically a given with a highly explosive updraft (assuming you have at least a little bit of shear).

 

[afischer]

Ignoring every other variable, I'd probably take strong kinematics/weak CAPE over weak kinematics/strong CAPE... especially if the former implies synoptic-scale lift.

I like my hodographs long and loopy. :lol:

 

[Patrick Kerrin]

Definitely the high CAPE days.

As was mentioned, I can count many high CAPE (5000+) days with only 15-20 knots of 0-6km shear......but favorable *storm relative* shear/winds (read some of Rich Thompson's case studies on this).

I too am solidly in this camp. And Rich Thompson sums the argument nicely with his now-famous observation "Big CAPE kicks Big @ss".

 

[Robert Edmonds]

I believe over here in the SW we've had a few small tornadoes with moderate CAPE and low shear. So I'll have to go with the CAPE. I look at every thing though to try and make my decision.