CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURE

The approximate temperature that the air near the ground must warm to in order for surface-based convection to develop, based on analysis of a sounding. See Fig. 6. Calculation of the convective temperature involves many assumptions, such that thunderstorms sometimes develop well before or well after the convective temperature is reached (or may not develop at all). However, in some cases the convective temperature is a useful parameter for forecasting the onset of convection.