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Largest hailstone on record for the state of Colorado

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-16

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm, left) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm, right) images, with plots of SPC Storm Reports [click to play animation | MP4]

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (above) displayed the increasing coverage of thunderstorms along the Colorado/Kansas border on 13 August 2019, These thunderstorms produced a few tornadoes and large hail — including hail of 5.00 inches in diameter at 2135 UTC near Bethune in extreme eastern Colorado (SPC storm reports).

 

A toggle between NOAA-20 VIIRS Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images (below) showed the storms at 2022 UTC — just over an hour before the 5.00-inch hail report at 2135 UTC. Note that the NOAA-20 images are incorrectly labelled as Suomi NPP.

NOAA-20 Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images, with NUCAPS sounding locations and surface reports [click to enlarge]

NOAA-20 VIIRS Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images, with NUCAPS sounding locations and surface reports [click to enlarge]

The NOAA-20 NUCAPS profile for the green dot in far western Kansas (below) showed that the airmass in advance of the approaching thunderstorms was very unstable, with a Most Unstable parcel Convective Available Potential Energy (MU CAPE) value of 2737 J/kg and a Lifted Index (LI) value of -10ºC (with no Convective Inhibition CINH).

NOAA-20 NUCAPS profile in far western Kansas [click to enlarge

NOAA-20 NUCAPS profile in far western Kansas [click to enlarge]

In contrast, the NUCAPS profile for the green dot in eastern Colorado (below) revealed an airmass that was less unstable in the wake of the departing thunderstorms.

NOAA-20 NUCAPS profile in eastern Colorado [click to enlarge]

NOAA-20 NUCAPS profile in eastern Colorado [click to enlarge]

===== 14 August Update =====

NWS Goodland Public Information Statement.

 

 

Categories: GOES-16, NOAA-20, NUCAPS, Severe convection, VIIRS