Hurricane Force low over the Atlantic Ocean

By Scott Bachmeier • 31 March 2017

GOES-16 7.3 µm (left), 6.9 µm (center) and 6.2 µm (right) Water Vapor images [click to play animation]

GOES-16 Lower-Level (7.3 µm),  Mid-Level (6.9 µm) and Upper-Level (6.2 µm) Water Vapor images (above; also available as an MP4 animation) revealed the circulation associated with a Hurricane Force low over the North Atlantic Ocean (centered southeast of Newfoundland, Canada) on 31 March 2017. Plotted along the left edge of each image panel are hourly surface wind barbs and wind gusts (red, in knots) for St. Johns to the north (plot | text) and Cape Race to the south (plot | text) — winds gusted to 66 knots or 76 mph at Cape Race, and 49 knots or 56 mph at St. Johns (where the winds pushed a surge of sea ice into the harbor).

In a comparison of GOES-16 0.5-km resolution Visible (0.64 µm) and 2-km resolution Water Vapor (6.9 µm) images (below), both lower- and middle-tropospheric structures of the storm could be seen. Plotted on the images are hourly surface wind barbs and wind gusts (red, in knots).

GOES-16 0.64 µm Visible (left) and 6.9 µm Water Vapor (right) images [click to play animation]

GOES-13 Water Vapor (6.5 µm) images, with hourly surface weather symbols [click to play animation]

Categories: GOES-13, GOES-16