Tehuano wind event
Visible images from GOES-17 (left) and GOES-16 (right) [click to play animated GIF | MP4]
As a strong arctic cold front moved southward across the Gulf of Mexico and southern Mexico (surface analyses) on 12 March 2022, the cold air passed through the Chivela Pass and emerged as a Tehuano (or “Tehuantepecer“) gap wind that fanned outward across the Gulf of Tehuantepec. Visible images from GOES-17 (GOES-West) and GOES-16 (GOES-East) showed the narrow arc cloud that marked the leading edge of this gap flow (above).
GOES-16 True Color RGB images [click to play animated GIF | MP4]
True Color RGB images created using Geo2Grid from GOES-16 (above) and GOES-17 (below) showed the hazy signature of blowing dust/sand as it was transported off the south coast of Mexico and spread out across the Gulf of Tehuantepec.
GOES-17 True Color RGB images [click to play animated GIF | MP4]
ASCAT surface scatterometer winds from Metop-B and Metop-C (source) are shown below; gap winds emerging from the coast were in the 35-40 knot range at 1631 UTC.
ASCAT winds from Metop-B and Metop-C [click to enlarge]