Blowing dust in the Four Corners region of the Southwestern US
GOES-12 0.65 µm visible images
McIDAS images of the GOES-12 0.65 µm visible channel data (above) showed the development of large plumes of blowing dust that developed late in the day on 05 April 2010 as a result of very strong winds ahead of an advancing cold frontal boundary. Winds gusted as high as 70 mph in northeastern Arizona and 68 mph in southern Utah (reducing visibility to near zero in some areas, and forcing some road closures). The GOES-12 satellite had been placed into Rapid Scan Operations, allowing imagery to be available as frequently as every 5-10 minutes.
An AWIPS image of the POES AVHRR Cloud Top Height product (below) indicated that the tops of the blowing dust plumes in northeastern Arizona at 19:45 UTC (1:45 pm local time) were around 1-2 km.
POES AVHRR Cloud Top Height product