POES AVHRR 3.74 µm shortwave IR image

Thick smoke from a 62-acre brush fire that was burning in the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park just southwest of Gainesville, Florida (station identifier KGNV) was blamed for causing a deadly multiple-vehicle crash along Interstate 75 at around 07:45 UTC (3:45 am local time) on 29 January 2012. Detection of the fire “hot spot” on shortwave IR satellite imagery was difficult due to the relatively small size of the fire, and the fact that some thin cirrus clouds were drifting over the region. However, evidence of what could be the fire hot spot was seen on a 06:58 UTC  AWIPS image of 1-km resolution POES AVHRR 3.74 µm data (above), with an IR brightness temperature (BT) of +9 C at the darker black pixel that is circled.

The fire “hot spot” was a bit easier to see on a 06:53 UTC  McIDAS image of 375-meter resolution Suomi NPP VIIRS 3.74 µm data (below). The darker black pixel that is circled exhibited an IR brightness temperature of +24.7 C.

Suomi NPP VIIRS 3.74 µm shortwave IR image

GOES-15 0.63 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

A large outbreak of blowing dust developed in the wake of a cold frontal passage across parts of New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma on 22 January 2012. At Lubbock, Texas winds gusted to 60 mph, and surface visibility was reduced to 0.5 mile. The strongest wind gust was 77 mph, farther to the north in the Texas panhandle region (NWS Lubbock summary). Early in the day, the consolidation of numerous smaller blowing dust plumes into a single large blowing dust “cloud” could be seen on 1-km resolution GOES-15 (GOES-West) 0.63 µm visible channel images (above; click image to play animation).

Later in the day, due to a more favorable forward scattering angle, the areal extent of the airborne blowing dust could be better seen on 1-km resolution 0.63 µm visible channel images from the GOES-13 (GOES-East) satellite (below; click image to play animation). The leading edge of the primary large dust plume began to move northeastward over Oklahoma, while a number of smaller dust plumes could be seen moving southeastward across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandle regions behind a secondary cold front. Note that the GOES-13 satellite had been placed into Rapid Scan Operations (RSO) mode, providing images as frequently as every 5-10 minutes.

GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

A 250-meter resolution MODIS true color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image from the SSEC MODIS Today site (below, viewed using Google Earth) displayed even greater detail in the structure of the blowig dust plume at 20:02 UTC.

Aqua MODIS true color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image (displayed using Google Earth)

There was also a bit of smoke mixed in with the blowing dust, due to a few small wildfires that were burning across the region. Three small wildfire “hot spots” (dark black to yellow pixels) could be seen on an AWIPS image of 1-km resolution MODIS 3.7 µm shortwave IR data at 20:00 UTC (below).

MODIS 3.7 µm shortwave IR image

Over southern Oklahoma at 21:23 UTC a pilot reported that at an altitude of 9000 feet the flight level visibility was zero due to blowing dust (below).

GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel image + Aircraft pilot report

GOES-12 3.9 µm shortwave IR channel images (click image to play animation)

As a result of prolonged drought and a mid-summer heat wave across southern Chile, a number of wildfires were burning in parts of the region on 01 January – 02 January 2012 (surface analysis). GOES-12 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (above; click image to play animation) showed a number of fire “hot spots” (yellow to red color enhancement) between Concepcion (station identifier SCIE) and Chillan (station identifier SCCH) from the late afternoon on 01 January until the early morning hours on 02 January.

During the subsequent daytime hours, GOES-12 0.63 µm visible channel images (below; click image to play animation) revealed a long hazy smoke plume that was drifting northwestward out over the adjacent Pacific Ocean. As daytime heating increased, cumulus clouds with a few thunderstorms could also be seen developing farther inland over the higher terrain of the Andes Mountains.

GOES-12 0.63 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

Rawinsonde data from Santo Domingo (station identifier SCSN) at 12 UTC indicated that southeasterly winds existed near the top of the deep temperature inversion, between 741 hPa (2.6 km) and 700 hPa (3.1 km) — so this is likely the approximate altitude of the smoke plume seen drifting toward the northwest on the GOES-12 visible satellite imagery.

Santo Domingo, Chile rawinsonde data plot

A high-resolution MODIS true color image of the fire smoke plume can be seen on the NASA Earth Observatory site.

GOES-15 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (click image to play animation)

The 2000-acre “Caughlin Fire” started burning around 08:45 UTC (1:45 am local time) in the hilly terrain near Reno, Nevada, and soon grew out of control due to strong winds gusting as high as 74 mph. McIDAS images of GOES-15 3.9 µm shortwave IR data (above) showed the “hot spot” (black to yellow to red enhanced pixels) associated with the fire. At least 30 homes were destroyed, with many more damaged by the fire. Thousands of residents were evacuated.

Evidence of the strong winds across the region could be seen on an AWIPS image of MODIS 6.7 µm water vapor channel data (below), with a number of very pronounced mountain waves showing up on the image. These mountain waves persisted for several hours, and were responsible for pilot reports of severe turbulence, wind shear, and 50-knot crosswinds during descent to final approach into the Reno airport. The highest wind gust reported at the Reno airport was 44 mph, and surface visibility was also reduced to 6 miles at the airport due to smoke.

MODIS 6.7 µm water vapor channel image

GOES-11, GOES-15, and GOES-13 visible channel images (click image to play animation)

A major blowing dust event occurred in the wake of a strong cold frontal boundary that moved rapidly southward across western Texas and eastern New Mexico late in the day on 17 October 2011 — the blowing dust reduced surface visibilities to near zero in some locations as winds gusted as high as 75 mph (see NWS Lubbock story). McIDAS images of GOES-11 (GOES-West), GOES-15, and GOES-13 (GOES-East) visible channel data during the daylight hours and shortwave IR data after sunset (above; click image to play animation) showed the southward propagation of the well-defined arc of blowing dust (or “haboob”), along with the surge of cooler air behind the cold front. A few wildfire “hot spots” (darker black pixels) were also evident on the GOES shortwave IR images, a result of fires started by downed power lines.

Much of that region had been experiencing long-term extreme to exceptional drought conditions — and an AWIPS image of the MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (below) showed very low NDVI values across much of western Texas the day before the dust storm.

MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

GOES-11, GOES-15, and GOES-13 visible channel images

A McIDAS image comparison of GOES-11 (GOES-West) 0.65 µm visible channel, GOES-15 0.63 µm visible channel, and GOES-13 (GOES-East) 0.63 µm visible channel data (above) showed the dark smoke plume from a fire burning at a chemical plant in Waxahachie, Texas (about 30 miles south of Dallas) on 03 October 2011. (Note: GOES-15 is scheduled to replace GOES-11 as the operational GOES-West satellite in December 2011).

A similar comparison of the GOES-11, GOES-15, and GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR channels (below) indicated that no obvious fire “hot spot” was evident before the appearance of the dark smoke plume — the brighter yellow colors highlight pixels which have an IR brightness temperature hotter than 45º C. This 45º C threshold was exceeded at 16:30 UTC on the GOES-15 and GOES-13 images, and at 16:45 on the GOES-11 images; on the visible channel imagery, the dark smoke plume was seen 30 minutes earlier at 16:00 UTC on all 3 satellites.

GOES-11, GOES-15, and GOES-13 shortwave IR images

A 17:32 UTC Terra MODIS Red/Green/Blue (RGB) true color image from the SSEC MODIS Today site (below, viewed using Google Earth) confirmed the very dark nature of the smoke plume from this particular fire, which was causing some evacuations (news media story).

MODIS true color RGB image (viewed using Google Earth)

MODIS true color and false color RGB images (11 September)

MODIS true color and false color RGB images (12 September)

250-meter resolution MODIS true color and false color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) images from the SSEC MODIS Today site (above) showed the very large pyrocumulus and smoke plume from the Pagami Creek wildfire that was burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness region of northeastern Minnesota on 11 September 2011 and 12 September 2011. The wildfire “hot spot” appears as the large red-colored feature on the false color images.  Other options for viewing this MODIS imagery include the SSEC Web Mapping Service and WisconsinView sites: WMS MODIS image | WisconsinView: Terra and Aqua MODIS images. Additional information and photos are available from the Duluth National Weather Service.

A comparison of AWIPS images of 1-km resolution MODIS 0.65 µm visible channel, 3.7 µm shortwave IR channel, and 11.0 µm IR window channel data (below) revealed the very large fire “hot spot” on the shortwave IR image (red to yellow to black color enhancement) — and also note that the resulting pyrocumulus cloud just east of the fire hot spot exhibited a cloud top 11.0 µm IR window brightness temperature of -70º C (black color enhancement), which was just as cold as that associated with the thunderstorms farther to the north in Ontario, Canada!

MODIS 0.65 µm visible, 3.7 µm shortwave IR, and 11.0 µm IR images

AWIPS images of GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR data (below) showed the diurnal changes to the size and intensity of the fire hot spot. Early in the animation during the overnight and morning hours, the hot spot was smaller and less intense as the wind speeds became very light– however, once strong southwesterly winds began to increase during the afternoon hours in advance of an approaching cold front, the hot spot was seen to dramatically increase in size as the fire quickly grew.

GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (click image to play animation)

A comparison of the 4-km resolution GOES-13 3.9 µm and the 1-km resolution MODIS 3.7 µm shortwave IR images (below) demonstrated the advantage of better spatial resolution for more accurate location of the fire hot spot boundaries. In addition, the MODIS image revealed another small fire hot spot could be seen to the north, just across the Minnesota/Ontario border — this small fire was not seen on the GOES-13 image.

MODIS 3.7 µm and GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR images

===== 13 September Update =====

A significant amount of smoke was transported southeastward across Wisconsin on 13 September 2011, as seen on GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images (below). The surface visibility was reduced to 2 miles at Milwaukee (station identifier KMKE), and 3 miles at Chicago O’Hare (station identifier KORD). Special Weather Statements were issued by the National Weather Service forecast offices at Milwaukee/Sullivan and Chicago/Romeoville to advise the public about the potential harmful effects of the smoke.

GOES-13 0.63 µm visible images (click image to play animation)

The smoke feature was even more apparent on the afternoon MODIS true color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image (below), and this smoke produced an elevated signal on the MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) product from the IDEA site.

MODIS true color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image

CIMSS participation in GOES-R Proving Ground activities includes making a variety of MODIS images and products available for National Weather Service offices to add to their local AWIPS workstations. Currently there are 49 NWS offices receiving MODIS imagery and products from CIMSS.

GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR channel + 0.63 µm visible channel images

McIDAS images of GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR and 0.63 µm visible channel data (above; click image to play animation) showed the fire hot spot (dark black pixels) and large smoke plume associated with the Bastrop County fire complex in eastern Texas on 04 September 2011. This fire went on to set a record for the highest number of homes damaged (over 500) by a single fire in Texas history.

A comparison of AWIPS images of 1-km resolution POES AVHRR 0.63 µm visible channel and 3.74 µm shortwave IR channel data (below) showed finer detail in the location of the individual fire hot spots (black to red to yellow color enhancement).

POES AVHRR 0.63 µm visible channel + 3.74 µm shortwave IR channel images

On the following day (05 September), the number of fires quickly grew to over 60 — a number of very large smoke plumes could be seen growing on GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images (below; click image to play animation). The thick smoke was causing air quality problems at a number of locations. Strong northerly winds around the circulation of the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee helped to create an environment that allowed many of the fires to quickly burn out of control.

GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

The location of many of the larger fire hot spots (black to yellow to red color enhancement) could be seen on a comparison of GOES-15 and GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (below; click image to play animation).

GOES-15 and GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (click image to play animation)

MODIS true color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) images

A sequence of daily 250-meter resolution MODIS true color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) images from the SSEC MODIS Direct Broadcast site (above) showed the development and evolution of the smoke plume emanating from a swamp fire that was burning in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge near New Orleans during the 26 August – 31 August 2011 time period. The change in daily wind directions resulted in very different smoke dispersion patterns on each day. Smoke from this fire caused air quality alerts to be issued for the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas.

AWIPS images (below) of the 1-km resolution MODIS 0.65 µm visible channel data at 19:16 UTC (2:16 pm local time on 30 August) showed the curving smoke plume; about 9.5 hours later, the fire “hot spot” (black to red to yellow color enhanced pixels) was seen on a 1-km resolution MODIS 3.7 µm shortwave IR image at 04:42 UTC (11:42 pm local time on 30 August).

MODIS 0.65 µm visible image + MODIS 3.7 µm shortwave IR image

MODIS 3.7 µm shortwave IR images

AWIPS images of 1-km resolution MODIS 3.7 µm shortwave IR data (above) revealed a large number of “hot spots” (black to red to yellow color enhancement) due to wildfires that were burning across parts of western Ontario, Canada on 17 July – 18 July 2011.

McIDAS images of GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel data (below) showed the unusually dense smoke plume resulting from these wildfires. Over Ontario, most of the smoke was located aloft (see the US Air Quality Smog Blog for more details), but surface visibilities were still being restricted to 2-5 miles at some locations. Farther away from the source region, the leading edge of the smoke moving over portions of New England and the Canadian Maritime Provinces exhibited significantly less optical thickness.

GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images

The hazy extent of the smoke plume could be more readily seen on a MODIS “true color” Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image from the SSEC MODIS Direct Broadcast site (below). As an aside, note that there are still some large ice floes in the open water of Hudson Bay.

MODIS true color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image