Lid

{
  "id": "MLC-T-MET-001545",
  "term": "Lid",
  "field": "Meteorology and atmospheric science",
  "definitions": [
    "A layer of stable air aloft that inhibits vertical motion and convection. This stable layer acts as a cap, preventing warm, moist air from rising and forming thunderstorms until sufficient forcing or heating erodes it. The strength of the lid is often quantified by the Convective Inhibition (CIN) value.",
    "1. (Also called cap.) A region of negative buoyancy below an existing level of free convection (LFC) where energy must be supplied to the parcel to maintain its ascent.\nThis tends to inhibit the development of convection until some physical mechanism can lift a parcel to its LFC. The intensity of the cap is measured by its convective inhibition. The term capping inversion is sometimes used, but an inversion is not necessary for the conditions producing convective inhibition to exist.\n\n2. A layer of warm air several thousand feet above the earth's surface which suppresses or delays the development of thunderstorms."
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    "cap",
    "capping inversion",
    "capping layer"
  ],
  "references": [
    "NWS Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/meteorology/lid/"
}