Severe thunderstorms in Argentina
On 25 January 2019 a GOES-16 (GOES-East) Mesoscale Domain Sector was positioned over Argentina in support of the RELAMPAGO-CACTI field experiment, providing imagery at 1-minute intervals. “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) showed thunderstorms that developed and moved northward over the Córdoba (SACO) area — surface observations there (plot | list) showed a sharp drop in temperatures along with wind gusts to 37 knots during the thunderstorm, which also produced hail and heavy rainfall. Two important features were revealed in the imagery: (1) an outflow boundary (from the decay of a large and long-lived Mesoscale Convective System to the southeast) which was moving slowly northward between between Rio Cuarto (SAOC) and Córdoba, likely helping to enhance boundary layer convergence and lift, and (2) a southward/southwestward flow of moist, unstable air — indicated by a plume of agitated cumulus clouds — approaching Córdoba. Toward the end of the day, the presence of an Above-Anvil Cirrus Plume also became evident in the Visible imagery.The corresponding GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (below) showed that infrared brightness temperatures of the pulsing thunderstorm overshooting tops were frequently -90ºC or colder (yellow pixels embedded within darker purple). This indicates a significant overshoot of the tropopause, which had an air temperature of -72.1ºC at an altitude of 15.2 km on 12 UTC rawinsonde data. Also note the development of a pronounced cold/warm thermal couplet over the core region of the storm, as an enhanced-V storm top signature formed.
A side-by-side comparison of GOES-16 Visible and Infrared images is displayed below.GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm, left) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm, right) images [click to play MP4 animation]
We observed some of the deepest storms I’ve ever seen on ground-based radar near Córdoba, Argentina today – comparable to some of the strongest ever observed with TRMM @NSF_GEO @RELAMPAGO2018 pic.twitter.com/d0Te1BEPSl
— Steve Nesbitt (@70_dbz) January 25, 2019
URGENTE | Fuerte tormenta en Córdoba Capital
Ahora mismo se registra una fuerte tormenta con ráfagas de viento y fuertes lluvias en la ciudad de Córdoba. [Más información en: https://t.co/0573RLZtPS ] pic.twitter.com/2pwP5DdSrC
— TormentasDelLitoral (@TDLtiempo) January 25, 2019