Explosive eruption of Mount Shishaldin in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska
![](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2023/10/ak_2p-20231003_182020.png)
GOES-18 Ash RGB images (top) and SO2 RGB images (bottom), with plots of Pilot Reports and Volcanic Ash Advisory/Forecast polygons, from 1250-1910 UTC [click to play animated GIF | MP4]
2 Pilot Reports (PIREPs) issued shortly after the eruption onset indicated an ash height of 21000 ft at 1400 UTC, and 40000 ft at 1446 UTC (below).
![](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2023/10/231003_1400utc_goes18_ashRGB_SO2RGB_pilotReport_Shishaldin.png)
GOES-18 Ash RGB (top) and SO2 RGB (bottom) images at 1400 UTC, with cursor sampling of a of Pilot Report issued at 1400 UTC [click to enlarge]
![](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2023/10/231003_1450utc_goes18_ashRGB_so2RGB_pilotReport_Shishaldin.png)
GOES-18 Ash RGB (top) and SO2 RGB (bottom) images at 1450 UTC, with cursor sampling of a of Pilot Report issued at 1446 UTC [click to enlarge]
![](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2023/10/goeswest_abi_radf_true_color_night_20231003192020.png)
GOES-18 Nighttime Microphysics RGB + daytime True Color RGB images, from 1210-2140 UTC [click to play MP4 animation]
![](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2023/10/231003_1410utc_ashHeight_Shishaldin.png)
Volcanic Cloud Ash Height derived product, from 1330-1700 UTC [click to play animated GIF | MP4]
![](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2023/10/231003_1404tc_suomiNPP_viirs_dayNightBand_infraredWindow_Shishaldin_anim.gif)
Suomi-NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images, valid at 1404 UTC [click to enlarge]
The -64.37ºC cloud-top infrared brightness temperature was indicative of a significant air parcel overshoot of the local tropopause — which was -50.5ºC at an altitude of 9292.4 m (30486.9 ft) according to 1200 UTC rawinsonde data from nearby Cold Bay, Alaska (below).
On a side note, a toggle between Infrared Window images from Suomi-NPP and GOES-18 (below) showed (1) the large northwest parallax offset associated with GOES-18 imagery at such high latitudes, which would be about 35 km or 22 mi for a 50 kft cloud top feature in the vicinity of Shishaldin, and (2) the significantly colder cloud-top infrared brightness temperature sensed with the higher spatial resolution VIIRS instrument (375 m, vs the nominal 2 km at satellite sub-point for GOES-18 ABI).