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Mesoscale Convective System in the Plains

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-16

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images, with plots of SPC storm reports [click to play MP4 animation]

A Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) developed over eastern Nebraska early in the evening on 11 June 2018, then propagated southward across the Plains during the subsequent overnight hours. GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images with plots of SPC storm reports are shown above; a Mesoscale Sector was positioned over the region, providing images at 1-minute intervals.

A closer look over Kansas using Infrared imagery from polar-orbiting satellites (below) revealed some very cold cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures, which included -87ºC on MODIS, -90ºC on VIIRS and -92ºC on AVHRR.

POES AVHRR, Terra/Aqua MODIS and Suomi NPP VIIRS Infrared images, with plots of SPC storm reports [click to enlarge]

Metop-B AVHRR, Terra/Aqua MODIS and Suomi NPP VIIRS Infrared images, with plots of SPC storm reports [click to enlarge]

The coldest air temperature on 00 UTC rawinsonde data from Dodge City and Topeka, Kansas (below) was -69.5ºC (at altitudes of 14.6 km/49,900 feet at Dodge City, and 17.6 km/57,700 feet at Topeka) — so in theory air parcels and cloud material within a vigorous overshooting top could have ascended a few km (or thousands of feet) beyond those altitudes to exhibit an infrared brightness temperature of -92ºC.

Plots of rawinsonde data from Dodge City and Topeka, Kansas [click to enlarge]

Plots of rawinsonde data from Dodge City and Topeka, Kansas [click to enlarge]

A toggle between re-mapped versions of the GOES-16 ABI and Metop-B AVHRR Infrared imagery over Kansas at the time of the very cold cloud-top infrared brightness temperature (below) revealed 2 important points: (1) with improved spatial resolution (1 km for AVHRR, vs 2 km *at satellite sub-point* for ABI) the instrument detectors sensed much colder temperatures (-92.6ºC with AVHRR vs -81.2ºC with ABI), and (2) due to parallax. the GOES-16 image features are displaced to the northwest. In addition to the isolated cold overshooting top in south-central Kansas, note the pronounced enhanced-V storm top signature in far northeastern Kansas.

Comparison of GOES-16 ABI and Metop-B AVHRR Infrared images [click to enlarge]

Comparison of GOES-16 ABI and Metop-B AVHRR Infrared images [click to enlarge]

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Categories: Aqua, AVHRR, GOES-16, Metop, MODIS, Severe convection, Suomi NPP, Terra, VIIRS