Thunderstorm Dynamics: CAPE, Shear & Lightning (2D)

This 2D companion drives the same thunderstorm-cell physics as the 3D version through a plain side-on canvas view built around the real drivers of a storm's life: a side panel exposes instability (CAPE), low-level humidity and 0–6 km wind shear, the cloud builds visibly from cumulus to a towering, anvil-topped cumulonimbus as the underlying updraft speed — derived from parcel theory, w_max ≈ 0.5·√(2·CAPE) — climbs toward its ceiling, rain and lightning switch on once the cell matures, and a cold-air gust front spreads out along the ground as it dissipates, making the CAPE-driven updraft, shear-driven storm organization and three-stage lifecycle that define real convective storms directly visible instead of implied.