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Mesoscale Convective System in Argentina

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-16

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (above) showed a large Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) west of Resistencia (station identifier SARE) in far northern Argentina on 14 February 2020 — this MCS developed southeast of an area of low pressure that was situated well north of a slow-moving cold front (surface analyses). The coldest GOES-16 cloud-top infrared brightness temperature was -94.1ºC on the 0750 UTC image.

VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from NOAA-20 (at 0452 UTC) and Suomi NPP (at 0541 UTC) as viewed using RealEarth (below) revealed intricate patterns of cloud-top waves and radial banding.

VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from NOAA-20 (at 0452 UTC) and Suomi NPP (at 0541 UTC) [click to enlarge]

VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from NOAA-20 (at 0452 UTC) and Suomi NPP (at 0541 UTC) [click to enlarge]

Plots of available NOAA-20 NUCAPS sounding points are shown below. NUCAPS profiles immediately north and south of the MCS revealed a very moist and unstable atmosphere, with Total Precipitable Water values around 2.4 inches and Most Unstable air parcel Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) values of 4500-5200 J/kg. The red NUCAPS profile dots indicate points where both the infrared and microwave retrievals failed — these are located within the core of the MCS.

Plots of available NUCAPS sounding points at 0341 UTC [click to enlarge]

Plots of available NOAA-20 NUCAPS sounding points [click to enlarge]

NUCAPS profile north of the MCS [click to enlarge]

NOAA-20 NUCAPS profile just north of the MCS [click to enlarge]

NUCAPS profile south of the MCS [click to enlarge]

NOAA-20 NUCAPS profile just south of the MCS [click to enlarge]


Plots of rawinsonde data from Córdoba, Argentina (below) — located not far southwest of the MCS — indicated a tropopause temperature of -74.7ºC at an altitude of 16.4 km on 14 February at 12 UTC.

Plots of rawinsonde data from Córdoba, Argentina [click to enlarge]

Plots of rawinsonde data from Córdoba, Argentina [click to enlarge]

 

Categories: GOES-16, NOAA-20, NUCAPS, RealEarth, Suomi NPP, VIIRS