Mesoscale Convective Vortices (MCVs) will occasionally emerge from under the eroding cirrus canopy of a Mesoscale Convective System (MCS). Typically, an MCS will dissipate shortly after sunrise, but in atmospheres that include plentiful moisture and little vertical wind shear, the MCV that very frequently develops in an MCS can persist... Read More

AWIPS images of the GOES-12 10.7 µm IR channel (above) showed a cluster of strong thunderstorms moving eastward across parts of Nebraska and South Dakota on 03 August 2008 — at one point these storms exhibited an “enhanced-v” signature on the IR... Read More

A mesoscale convective system (MCS) moved southward across southern Wisconsin during the morning of 11 July 2008, producing a well-defined bowing segment along the southern flank. As the MCS continued to decay into the late morning hours, the signature of a weak Mesoscale Convective Vortex or MCV (see Interesting Clouds on Satellite: “Mesoscale Convective Vortex” from the NWS... Read More

A large mesoscale convective system (MCS) developed over Nebraska during the pre-dawn hours on 24 June 2008, and AWIPS images of the GOES-12 10.7 µm IR channel (above) showed the extensive coverage of very cold cloud top temperatures (-60 to -70º C, red to black color enhancement) associated with this convective activity.... Read More