Abstract The upslope flow processes affecting the vertical extent of orographic cumulus convection are examined using observations from the Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) Field Campaign. Specifically, clear-air returns from the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) C-band radar (CSAPR2) are used to characterize the structure and variability of the ridge-normal (i.e., up/downslope) flow components, which transport mass to the crest of Argentina’s Sierras de Córdoba and contribute to convective initiation. Data are compiled for the entire CACTI period (Oct-Apr), including days with clear skies, shallow cumuli, cumulus congestus, and deep convection. To examine shared variability amongst >70,000 radar scans we use (a) a principal component analysis (PCA) to isolate modes of variability in the upslope flow, and (b) composite analysis based on convective outcomes, determined from GOES16 satellite observations. These data are contextualized with observed surface sensible heat fluxes, thermodynamic profiles, and synoptic-scale analysis. Results indicate distinct thermally and mechanically forced upslope flow modes, modulated by diurnal heating and synoptic-scale variations, respectively. In some instances, there is a superposition of thermal and mechanical forcing, yielding either deeper or shallower upslope flow. The composite analyses based on satellite data show that successively deeper convective outcomes are associated with successively deeper upslope flow layers that more readily transport mass to the ridge crest in conjunction with lower lifting condensation levels, facilitating convective initiation. These results help to isolate the forcing mechanisms for orographic convection, and thus provide a foundation for parameterizing orographic convective processes in coarse resolution models.