This website works best with a newer web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer is not supported by this website.

CIMSS Satellite Blog

MENU

Severe thunderstorms in Texas and Oklahoma

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with SPC Storm Reports plotted in red [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with SPC Storm Reports plotted in red [click to play animation | MP4]

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images with time-matched plots of SPC Storm Reports (above) showed the development of thunderstorms that produced tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds in parts of southwestern Oklahoma and far northern Texas on 22 May 2020. Of particular note was the 5.33-inch diameter hail that fell in Burkburnett, Texas — reported at 2340 UTC. A number of Above-Anvil Cirrus Plume (AACP) features were seen with these storms (VISIT training).

The corresponding GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (below) revealed pulsing overshooting tops which exhibited cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures as cold as -80ºC (violet pixels). According to 20 UTC rawinsonde data from Fort Worth, Texas this temperature represented an overshoot of the Equilibrium Level of approximately 2 km.

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

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images, with SPC storm reports plotted in cyan [click to play animation | MP4]


Categories: GOES-16, Severe convection