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Leeside cold frontal gravity wave as viewed by GOES-18/16/19

By Scott Bachmeier •

10-minute GOES-18/GOES-West (left), 5-minute GOES-16 (center) and 5-minute GOES-19/GOES-East (right) Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm) images, with/without hourly plots of surface wind barbs and gusts (knots), from 2100 UTC on 18 May to 1701 UTC on 19 May [click to play animated GIF]

The GOES-16 satellite was temporarily brought out of storage for annual testing (details) — which allowed for a 3-GOES (GOES-18/GOES-West, GOES-16 and GOES-19/GOES-East) Water Vapor image comparison of the signature of a leeside cold frontal gravity wave (reference) that propagated southward across the High Plains during the 18 May – 19 May 2026 period (above).

The highest peak wind gust at METAR sites in the wake of the cold frontal passage was 44 kts at Tucumcari, New Mexico at 0537 UTC (below).

GOES-19 Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm) image at 0601 UTC on 19 May, with a cursor sample of the METAR report at Tucumcari, New Mexico [click to enlarge]

Categories: GOES-16, GOES-18, GOES-19