1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images — with and without an overlay of GLM Flash Extent Density — and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) showed showed Hurricane Delta as it intensified from a Category 2 to a Category 3 storm over the Gulf of Mexico during the daytime hours on 08 October 2020. Cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures of -90ºC and colder  (yellow pixels embedded within the darker shades of purple) were occasionally seen within the eyewall region of Delta, along with intermittent bursts of lightning activity.

A toggle between Suomi NPP VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) and Visible (0.64 µm) images of Hurricane Delta shortly before it intensified to a Category 3 storm are shown below; the coldest cloud-top infrared brightness temperature at that time was -93.0ºC.

In a time-matched comparison of Infrared images from Suomi NPP and GOES-16 (below), the coldest cloud-top infrared brightness temperature sensed by GOES-16 was 5.6ºC warmer (-87.4ºC); note the small northwestward parallax displacement that is inherent with GOES-16 imagery over the Gulf of Mexico. The same color enhancement is applied to both images.

===== 09 October Update =====

In a toggle between Suomi NPP VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) and Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) images at 0734 UTC or 2:34 am CDT on 09 October (above), the coldest cloud-top infrared brightness temperature was -93.8ºC (just northwest of the storm center).

1-minute GOES-16 Infrared and Visible images (below) showed Category 2 Hurricane Delta making landfall in southwestern Louisiana at 2300 UTC, producing wind gusts as high as 100 mph at Texas Point, Texas.

The MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product (below) indicated that Hurricane Delta was transporting a large amount of moisture northward across the Gulf of Mexico — rainfall totals included 15.64 inches at Evangeline Gardner, Louisiana.

The MIMIC-TC product (below) showed the deterioration of the eye and eyewall structure as Delta approached the Gulf Coast.

===== 10 October Update =====

A before (04 October) / after (10 October) comparison of Suomi NPP VIIRS True Color RGB images from the VIIRS Today site (above) revealed a marked increase of turbidity within the more shallow shelf waters of Texas and Louisiana, due to extensive mixing from the wind field associated with Delta. A comparison of VIIRS False Color images from those 2 days (below) highlighted inland areas with significant flooding that resulted from heavy rainfall and/or storm surge (darker shades of blue).

A GOES-16 River Flood Detection product viewed using RealEarth (below) helped to quantify the severity of flooding resulting from the landfall of Delta.