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Tehuano gap wind event

By Scott Bachmeier •

True Color RGB mages from GOES-18 (left), GOES-17 (center) and GOES-16 (right) [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

True Color RGB mages — created using Geo2Grid — from GOES-18 (GOES-West), GOES-17 and GOES-16 (GOES-East) (above) displayed the hazy signature of blowing dust associated with a Tehuano wind event, which was spreading south-southwestward from the Gulf of Tehuantepec across the Pacific Ocean on 18 February 2023. A narrow rope cloud marked the edges of this outflow.

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with plots of hourly surface/ship/buoy reports and the 18 UTC surface analysis [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) include plots of surface/ship/buoy reports and the 18 UTC surface analysis — a region with the risk of Gale Force winds was outlined in the Gulf of Tehuantepec.

In a closer view of regional topography (below), the narrow Chivela Pass could be seen north-northeast of Ixtepec (station identifier MMIT), through which the northerly flow of cold air is accelerated.

Topography image, with plots of surface/ship/buoy reports and the surface analysis at 18 UTC [click to enlarge]

A sequence of ASCAT wind barbs (source) from Metop-B and Metop-C (below) helped to highlight the pulse of gap winds as they emerged from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and spread south-southwestward across the Gulf of Tehuantepec.

ASCAT wind barbs from Metop-B and Metop-C [click to enlarge]

Categories: GOES-16, GOES-17, GOES-18, Metop, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images, Satellite winds