Hurricane Dora

By Scott Bachmeier • 26 June 2017

GOES-16 Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images [click to play MP4 animation]

Dora became the first hurricane of the Eastern Pacific 2017 season on 26 June, and was also the first hurricane to be sampled by GOES-16. On Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (above), Dora displayed an improving appearance as the day progressed — mesovortices were seen within the eye on Visible imagery, while the overall eye/eyewall structure improved as the eye diameter increased on Infrared Window imagery.

Early in the morning, a comparison between DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) and GOES-15 Infrared Window (10.7 µm) images from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (below) showed  that a well-defined eye was more apparent on microwave imagery. Dora was moving over fairly warm Sea Surface Temperatures, and was also in an environment characterized by low values of deep-layer wind shear.

DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) and GOES-15 Infrared Window (10.7 µm) images [click to enlarge]

Categories: DMSP, GOES-15, GOES-16, Satellite winds, Tropical cyclones