Explainer: What is 'the cap'? and what does it mean for severe weather in North Texas?

WFAA meteorologistsMaybe you've lived in North Texas for some time, but never understood what they are talking about. Or perhaps you are new to North Texas, and still remain completely confused by this term.The cap is a warm layer of air in the atmosphere above our heads. Usually, this layer of air is around 2,000 to 5,000 feet up in the atmosphere.

The cap is formed due to the higher elevations of Mexico to the southwest of Texas becoming warm and fairly dry this time of year. When the wind in the layer of the atmosphere above the surface comes from the southwest, this transports that warm and dry air into parts of Texas and North Texas. The cap normally originates as warm, dry air moving overhead from Mexico.Again, keep in mind that the cap is like a lid on a pot of boiling water.

These cases are when we usually see the most intense storms we can get here in North Texas -- storms with very large hail, damaging winds and even tornadoes.This is a good thing, too. It prevents North Texas from seeing even more severe storms than we already do.

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