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Severe thunderstorms across the southern and central Plains

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-16 Visible images + SPC Storm Reports

1-minute GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images with time-matched SPC Storm Reports plotted in red [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) widespread showed thunderstorms that produced tornadoes (resulting in a number of fatalities), large hail (up to 3.5 inches in diameter in Oklahoma) and damaging winds as high as 78 mph in Kansas (SPC Storm Reports) across the southern and central Plains during the daytime hours on 25 May 2024. Pulses of overshooting tops were apparent in the Visible imagery.

In the corresponding 1-minute GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (below), the coldest overshooting top infrared brightness temperatures were in the -70 to -79ºC range (shades of black to white).

1-minute GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images with time-matched SPC Storm Reports plotted in cyan [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

In a closer view of a deadly supercell thunderstorm that was moving across North Texas, 1-miinute GOES-16 Infrared images (below) showed pulses of overshooting tops exhibiting cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures of -80ºC or colder (violet pixels) as it produced tornadoes (one of which produced fatalities at Valley View, Texas around 0346 UTC), hail to 3.00″ in diameter and damaging winds to 70 mph.

1-minute GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images with time-matched SPC Storm Reports plotted in cyan [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

In addition, a closer view of another deadly tornado-producing supercell thunderstorm (below) similarly showed numerous pulses of overshooting tops as it moved across northeast Oklahoma (including the communities of Claremore and Pryor) and continued across northwest Arkansas (where it produced several more fatalities).

1-minute GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images with time-matched SPC Storm Reports plotted in cyan [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

Categories: GOES-16, Severe convection