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.

CIMSS Satellite Blog

MENU

Mesoscale Convective Vortex generated by monsoon thunderstorms in Arizona

By Scott Bachmeier •

As mentioned by NWS San Diego, monsoon thunderstorms that developed over Arizona spawned a small Mesoscale Convective Vortex (MCV). The animation below shows nighttime GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images, followed by daytime GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images — the center of the MCV circulation briefly exhibited an “eye-like” appearance just after 16 UTC (south of the California/Mexico border).

GOES-16

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with hourly plots of surface reports [click to play MP4 animation]

A 1-km resolution NOAA-19 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) image at 1132 UTC (below) showed a more detailed view of the small cluster of thunderstorms responsible for the MCV — the convection produced 0.68″ of rainfall near Yuma KNYZ in far southwestern Arizona, and generated an outflow boundary which produced wind gusts to 46 mph at Thermal, California KTRM (NWS statements).

NOAA-19 AVHRR Infrared Window (10.8 µm) image [click to enlarge]

NOAA-19 AVHRR Infrared Window (10.8 µm) image [click to enlarge]

A toggle between 1-km resolution NOAA-15 and NOAA-18 Visible (0.63 µm) images (below) revealed the emergence of the eye-like MCV center in far northern Baja California (just southeast of Campo, California KCZZ) at 1547 UTC.

NOAA-15 and NOAA-18 Visible (0.63 µm) images [click to enlarge]

NOAA-15 and NOAA-18 Visible (0.63 µm) images [click to enlarge]

Categories: AVHRR, GOES-16, POES