
Topography + GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]
GOES-16
(GOES-East) “Red” Visible (
0.64 µm) images
(above) indicated that a strong arctic cold front (
surface analyses) had plunged southward across Mexico, through the Chivela Pass, and emerged as a Tehuano (or “
Tehuantepecer“) gap wind into the Gulf of Tehuantepec on 24 December 2020. Along the Gulf of Mexico coast, a few sites in Mexico reported blowing dust and/or blowing sand with onshore winds gusting to 40 knots.
GOES-16 True Color RGB images created using Geo2Grid (below) showed the hazy signature of blowing dust/sand as it was transported off the south coast of Mexico and spread out across the Gulf of Tehuantepec.
![GOES-16 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2020/12/GOES-16_ABI_RadC_true_color_2020359_220117Z.png)
GOES-16 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]
===== 25 December Update =====
![GOES-16 "Red" Visible (0.64 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2020/12/tehuano_vis-20201225_160021.png)
GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]
On the following day, GOES-16 Visible images
(above) showed that the leading edge of the gap wind flow — marked by a broad arc cloud — was approaching the ITCZ / Monsoon Trough in the Pacific Ocean. Ship reports of 30-35 knot winds were seen within the offshore flow — and
ASCAT surface scatterometer winds revealed speeds as high as 44 knots.
GOES-16 True Color RGB images (below) showed the hazy signature of blowing dust from Mexico as it spread out across the Pacific Ocean.
![GOES-16 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2020/12/GOES-16_ABI_RadF_true_color_2020360_180021Z.png)
GOES-16 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]
Aided by enhanced forward scattering during the morning hours, True Color RGB images from GOES-17 (GOES-West) showed the hazy signature of airborne dust from Mexico a bit better (below).
![GOES-17 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2020/12/GOES-17_ABI_RadF_true_color_2020360_150032Z.png)
GOES-17 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]