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Turbulence associated with transverse cloud banding

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.38 µm), Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images [click to play animated GIF]

GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.37 µm), Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (above) displayed a pattern of transverse cloud banding over parts of the Upper Midwest on 28 February 2022.  This type of transverse banding is often a signature of an enhanced potential of middle- to high-altitude turbulence — so not surprisingly, there were several pilot reports of light to moderate turbulence in the vicinity of these cloud bands.

A closer view of the transverse banding over Minnesota and Wisconsin at 2301 UTC is shown below.

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.38 µm), Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images at 2301 UTC [click to enlarge]

Hourly GOES-16 Near-Infrared “Cirrus” images with contours of RAP40 model Maximum Wind isotachs (below) indicated that this pattern of transverse banding was occurring within the left exit region of an anomalously-strong anticyclonically-curved upper tropospheric jet streak — consistent with the findings of a study by Trier and Sharman.

GOES-16 Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.38 µm) images, with contours of RAP40 model Maximum Wind isotachs plotted in yellow [click to enlarge]

Such transverse banding cloud features are frequently observed around the periphery of decaying MCSs (for example, July 2020 , June 2018 and July 2016) and in the vicinity of strong upper-tropospheric jet streaks (for example, February 2020 and March 2016).

Categories: Aviation, GOES-16