GOES Cloud Top Cooling Rate product used for SPC Mesoscale Discussion

By Scott Bachmeier • 17 September 2014

Storm Prediction Center Mesoscale Discussion #1724

Using the GOES-R Cloud Top Cooling Rate product (applied to GOES-13 data), the Storm Prediction Center issued a Mesoscale Discussion (above) highlighting the risk of strong thunderstorms producing hail and/or strong wind gusts over parts of the Georgia/South Carolina border region on 17 September 2014. According to the SPC storm reports, there was hail up to 1.0 inch in diameter in addition to some tree and power line damage in southern South Carolina.

AWIPS II image combinations of the Cloud Top Cooling (CTC) rate product (colors) and the GOES-13 10.7 µm IR channel gray-scale images  (below; click image to play animation) showed that CTC rate values for the storm north of Augusta, Georgia (KAGS) at 19:00 UTC were as high as -16º C per 15 minutes; at 19:15 UTC, the CTC rate value for that storm was as high as -39º C per 15 minutes. The first Severe Thunderstorm Warning for this storm was later issued at 19:34 UTC.

Cloud Top Cooling Rate (colors) and GOES-13 10.7 µm IR (grayscale) images [click to play animation]

GOES-13 10.7 µm IR channel images [click to play animation]

Categories: AWIPS II, Cloud-Top Cooling, GOES-13, GOES-R, Severe convection