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Heavy rain in Florida

By Scott Bachmeier •

Aided in part by precipitation associated with Hurricane Irma, some areas of Florida have received record rainfall during the June-October 2017 period:

* GOES-16 data posted on this page are preliminary, non-operational and are undergoing testing *

GOES-16 Visible (0.64 µm, left), Near-Infrared

GOES-16 Visible (0.64 µm, left), Near-Infrared “Vegetation” (0.86 µm, center) and Near-Infrared “Snow/Ice” (1.61 µm, right) images [click to play animation]

A comparison of GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Near-Infrared “Vegetation” (0.86 µm) and Near-Infrared “Snow/Ice” (1.61 µm) images (above) showed that water was a strong absorber of radiation at 0.86 µm and 1.61 µm wavelengths — therefore wet ground, rivers, lakes and the oceans appeared dark in those images. This makes those two GOES-16 ABI spectral bands useful for identifying areas of flooding.

Two areas in Florida are noteworthy on the images: the St. Johns River in the northeast part of the state (where Moderate Flooding had been occurring), and parts of South Florida (which had just received an additional 1-5 inches of rain on  the previous day).

A closer look at those 2 areas using Terra MODIS Visible (0.65 µm) and Near-Infrared “:Snow/Ice” (1.61 µm) images are shown below.

Terra MODIS Visible (0.65 µm) and Near-Infrared :Snow/Ice

Terra MODIS Visible (0.65 µm) and Near-Infrared :Snow/Ice” (1.61 µm) images, showing central and northeastern Florida [click to enlarge]

Terra MODIS Visible (0.65 µm) and Near-Infrared :Snow/Ice" (1.61 µm) images, showing southern Florida [click to enlarge]

Terra MODIS Visible (0.65 µm) and Near-Infrared :Snow/Ice” (1.61 µm) images, showing southern Florida [click to enlarge]

In stark contrast to the periods of heavy rain, a strong cold front brought clear skies and very dry air over Florida, as seen in MIMIC Total Precipitble Water product (below).

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product [click to enlarge]

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product [click to enlarge]

This dry air evoked enthusiasm in least one South Florida resident:


Categories: GOES-16, Heavy rain / flooding, MODIS, Terra