MLchartDataset catalogue

Delta T

Term · Meteorology and atmospheric science · MLC-T-MET-000677

Change in temperature.

1) A simple representation of the mean lapse rate within a layer of the atmosphere, obtained by calculating the difference between observed temperatures at the bottom and top of the layer. Delta Ts often are computed operationally over the layer between pressure levels of 700 mb and 500 mb, in order to evaluate the amount of instability in mid-levels of the atmosphere. Generally, values greater than about 18 indicate sufficient instability for severe thunderstorm development.

2) The difference in temperature between the surface of a lake and 850mb, typically used to determine
lake effect snow potential.

Table 1. Record
IdentifierMLC-T-MET-000677
FieldMeteorology and atmospheric science
ReferencesNWS Glossary
Record as JSON
{
  "id": "MLC-T-MET-000677",
  "term": "Delta T",
  "field": "Meteorology and atmospheric science",
  "definition": "Change in temperature.\n\n1) A simple representation of the mean lapse rate within a layer of the atmosphere, obtained by calculating the difference between observed temperatures at the bottom and top of the layer. Delta Ts often are computed operationally over the layer between pressure levels of 700 mb and 500 mb, in order to evaluate the amount of instability in mid-levels of the atmosphere. Generally, values greater than about 18 indicate sufficient instability for severe thunderstorm development.\n\n2) The difference in temperature between the surface of a lake and 850mb, typically used to determine\nlake effect snow potential.",
  "references": [
    "NWS Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/meteorology/delta-t/"
}

Record 677 of 3,164 in Meteorology and atmospheric science terminology (MLC-0110). Request the full dataset.