A NOAA-16 AVHRR 11.0 µm IR image (above) showed cold brightness temperatures of -10º to -20º C (violet colors) across much of northwestern Alaska on 30 September 2008. The coldest IR brightness temperatures of around -27º C or -17º F (darker blue colors) corresponded to the higher elevations of the... Read More

Wildfire activity began to increase across the northern portions of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada on 30 June 2008. GOES-11 visible and 3.9 µm “shortwave IR” images (above) showed a number of thick smoke plumes (lighter gray features on the visible images) drifting southeastward from a large cluster of active fire “hot... Read More

The severe thunderstorm that was producing a significant long-track tornado (approximately 75 miles long, and around 1 mile wide at times) across parts of northeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Missouri on 10 May 2008 exhibited a classic “enhanced-v” signature on both GOES-12 and NOAA-16 IR imagery. The coldest cloud top brightness temperature values... Read More

Chile is one of the most volcanically active countries on Earth. The latest volcano to erupt is Chaiten, which had previously lain dormant for at least 1000 years. Chaiten is at approximately 42 degrees South latitude, 72 degrees west longitude, close to Golfo de Ancud. A series of eruptions, starting... Read More