What Is LCL?
The height where rising air cools enough to form a cloud, which usually marks the flat bottom of a cumulus cloud. Low values favor tornadoes. In technical terms: The lifting condensation level, the pressure or height at which an unsaturated parcel lifted dry-adiabatically reaches saturation; approximately 125 m times the surface dewpoint depression in degrees C.
Also called: Lifting Condensation Level, Cloud Base, Lifted Condensation Level
LCL In Plain English
The height where rising air cools enough to form a cloud, which usually marks the flat bottom of a cumulus cloud. Low values favor tornadoes.
The Technical Definition
The lifting condensation level, the pressure or height at which an unsaturated parcel lifted dry-adiabatically reaches saturation; approximately 125 m times the surface dewpoint depression in degrees C. LCL heights under about 1000 m AGL favor tornadic supercells.
Lessons That Use LCL
- Humidity, Dew Point And Saturation Unit 1: The Atmosphere
- The Ten Cloud Types Unit 5: Clouds And Precipitation
- CAPE, CIN And The Lifted Index Unit 6: Stability And Soundings
- How Tornadoes Form Unit 8: Tornadoes
