This website works best with a newer web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer is not supported by this website.

Plume of blowing ash from the Smokehouse Creek Fire and Windy Deuce Fire burn scars in Texas

A toggle between Suomi-NPP VIIRS False Color RGB and True Color RGB images (above) displayed the areal extent of burn scars from the  Smokehouse Creek Fire and the Windy Deuce Fire — which began burning in the Texas Panhandle on 26 February, as discussed in this blog post — at 1955 UTC on 02 March 2024. Surface reports... Read More

Suomi-NPP VIIRS False Color RGB and True Color RGB images, valid at 1955 UTC on 02 March [click to enlarge]

A toggle between Suomi-NPP VIIRS False Color RGB and True Color RGB images (above) displayed the areal extent of burn scars from the  Smokehouse Creek Fire and the Windy Deuce Fire — which began burning in the Texas Panhandle on 26 February, as discussed in this blog post — at 1955 UTC on 02 March 2024. Surface reports at that time were showing southwesterly winds with gusts of 30-35 knots at Pampa (KPPA) and Borger (KBGD).

GOES-16 Ash RGB and Split Window Difference (10.3-12.3 µm) images [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

GOES-16 (GOES-East) Ash RGB and Split Window Difference (10.3-12.3 µm) images (above) revealed a plume of ash (from burned vegetation and structures) that was being lofted from the burn scars by the strong SW winds — gusting as high as 41 knots or 47 mph at Borger, Texas — and transported across northwest Oklahoma to central Kansas. The ash plume (brighter shades of pink in Ash RGB and shades of yellow in the Split Window Difference imagery) passed over Gage, Oklahoma (KGAG), reducing the surface visibility to 7 miles at times; ceilometer data indicated that the base of the thicker ash layer aloft was in the 2000-4000 ft range (below).

Plot of surface observation data from Gage, Oklahoma [click to enlarge]

GOES-18 (GOES-West) and GOES-16 (GOES-East) True Color RGB + Nighttime Microphysics RGB images from the CSPP GeoSphere site (below) showed the ash plume (which was mixed with some smoke) as it was transported across Oklahoma and Kansas. The plume appeared brighter in GOES-16 True Color imagery, due to enhanced forward scattering later in the day — but in GOES-18 True Color imagery, the ash plume exhibited a darker appearance because of the absence of forward scattering during the afternoon and early evening hours. After sunset, the plume exhibited shades of pink — and clusters of darker purple pixels denoted thermal signatures of fire activity.

GOES-18 (left) and GOES-16 (right) True Color RGB + Nighttime Microphysics RGB images, from 1720 UTC on 02 March to 0030 UTC on 03 March [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

View only this post Read Less

The Little Cloud that Could — until it couldn’t

Imagery from the CSPP Geosphere site, above (link to animation), shows a curiously static low cloud (click here to see mp4 of cloud heights) separating from clouds along the southern shore of Lake Michigan and subsequently moving north. For several hours the cloud persists, until it moves under cirrus streaming in from the west, at which point it dissipates rapidly. The... Read More

GOES-16 Night Microphysics RGB and True Color RGB over southern Lake Michigan, 1150 UTC – 2110 UTC 2 March 2024

Imagery from the CSPP Geosphere site, above (link to animation), shows a curiously static low cloud (click here to see mp4 of cloud heights) separating from clouds along the southern shore of Lake Michigan and subsequently moving north. For several hours the cloud persists, until it moves under cirrus streaming in from the west, at which point it dissipates rapidly. The reason for its persistence and dissipation is left as an exercise for the reader.


In the inbox, from a forecaster at WFO GRR: “…prescribed burns occurred on March 1st and 2nd in/near Indiana Dunes. At the end of the loop you can see the smoke plume from that area. Could that cloud feature have been something linked to the two burns the day prior?” The controlled burn locations are shown below. In addition to the smoke plume at the end of the animation above, there are several pixels — magenta — that could be hot spots at the start of the animation. (In reality, those pixels might also be industrial activity).

View only this post Read Less

LightningCast products with Himawari-9 data

CSPPGeo software to create LightningCast probability fields is in (pre-Beta stage) testing at CIMSS (as noted in this recent blog post). In addition to creating output using GOES-R data, the software will also create imagery from Himawari-9 data. There is a RealEarth instance for LightningCast probability that includes a small Guam sector cut-out, but the CSPPGeo... Read More

CSPPGeo LightningCast Probability fields, 1900 UTC on 1 March 2024 (Click to enlarge); contours over the RGB show the likelihood of lightning in the next 60 minutes (Click to enlarge)

CSPPGeo software to create LightningCast probability fields is in (pre-Beta stage) testing at CIMSS (as noted in this recent blog post). In addition to creating output using GOES-R data, the software will also create imagery from Himawari-9 data. There is a RealEarth instance for LightningCast probability that includes a small Guam sector cut-out, but the CSPPGeo LightningCast software allows a cutout to be created anywhere within the Himawari-9 footprint! The image above shows LightningCast probabilities for portions of northwestern Australia and adjacent oceans/islands to the north. Himawari clean window infrared (10.4 µm) imagery for the same time (from this site) is shown below. LightningCast tells you which of the convective-looking clouds are most likely to be producing lightning in the next 60 minutes. The domain for LightningCast Probability was restricted to a subset of the Full Disk image, from -21oS to -2oS and from 110oE to 135oE.

Himawari-9 Clean Window infrared (Band 13, 10.4 µm) imagery, 1900 UTC on 1 March 2024 (Click to enlarge)

Thanks to John Cintineo (CIMSS) and Levi Pfantz (CIMSS) for their work on this CSPPGeo product.

View only this post Read Less

Not quite so wet in the south Pacific

December 2023 through February 2024 was a period of exceptional wetness over the Samoan Islands. Pago Pago received 68″ of rain during that period (this was the 4th greatest total since the 1950s!!). In the past week, however, the moisture of the South Pacific Convergence Zone has shifted away from... Read More

Total Precipitable Water, 2000 UTC on 27 February to 1900 UTC on 28 February 2024 (Click to enlarge)

December 2023 through February 2024 was a period of exceptional wetness over the Samoan Islands. Pago Pago received 68″ of rain during that period (this was the 4th greatest total since the 1950s!!). In the past week, however, the moisture of the South Pacific Convergence Zone has shifted away from American Samoa. The relatively clear skies that have followed mean a couple things. Pago Pago had record heat on 27 February (96oF), and Level 2 products that require clear skies are useful again. The animation above shows MIMIC Total Precipitable Water for the 24 hours endings at 1900 UTC on 28 February. The animation below shows GOES-West Band 13 imagery overlain with Level 2 Total Precipitable Water, scaled from 1.2 to 2.7 inches. Note the trench of lower precipitable water values apparent in the MIMIC fields above has an echo in the Level 2 product. In general, convection is absent in that region but more prevalent in the higher values of total precipitable water that the trench of lower values surrounds.

GOES-West Band 13 infrared imagery (10.3 µm) and Total Preceipitable Water (scaled from 1.2 to 2.7 inches), 0000 to 1900 UTC on 28 February 2024 (Click to enlarge)

The Level 2 K Index, below, has a structure very similar to the Total Precipitable Water fields above. K-index is related to the Galvez-Davison Index (as shown in this blog post). The 21-h forecast of GDI is shown at bottom. There are great similarities in the structure of the K-Index, the TPW, and the GDI.

GOES-West Band 13 infrared imagery (10.3 µm) and K-Index (scaled from 10 to 40), 0000 to 1900 UTC on 28 February 2024 (Click to enlarge)
21-h forecast of GDI valid 2100 UTC on 28 February 2024 (click to enlarge)

Level 2 Products from GOES-18 can be used to approximate the Galvez-Davison Index.

View only this post Read Less