Have you ever heard of the weather term called “CAPE”?

Anytime there is the threat of thunderstorms in our area meteorologists are discussing the value of the CAPE. “CAPE” stands for Convective Available Potential Energy and is a measure of the amount of energy available for convection. The higher this number reaches the greater potential for severe weather and strong thunderstorms. This energy value is directly related to the vertical wind speed within the updraft of thunderstorm. 

CAPE is one of many indices which are produced by computer models to simulate future weather. However, it is important to note that many other elements are considered before making a forecast for thunderstorms such as availability of moisture or wind shear.