As noted in this blog post, Radar Constellation Mission (RCM1) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) wind estimates were available over Idalia just before landfall on 30 August 2023, as shown above. RCM1 sampled the hurricane 12 hours before landfall, as well, (All SAR overpasses for Idalia are available online here) Peak winds are... Read More
NOAA-20 overflew Hurricanes Franklin and Idalia shortly after 0700 UTC on 30 August 2023. Ample lunar illumination (the Full Moon occurs on 30 August) meant the Day Night Band yielded very sharp imagery, as shown above. This data was downloaded at the CIMSS Direct Broadcast antenna and processed with CSPP software, yielding the georeferenced... Read More
A toggle between NOAA-20 (mislabeled as NPP) VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images valid at 0735 UTC on 29 August 2023 (above) showed Tropical Storm Idalia about 1.5 hours before it reached Category 1 hurricane intensity at 0900 UTC. A large convective burst was evident just northeast of... Read More
A toggle between NOAA-20 (mislabeled as NPP) VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images valid at 0612 UTC on 28 August 2023 (above) showed Hurricane Franklin a few hours before it reached Category 3 intensity.Franklin rapidly intensified to Category 4 intensity as of 1200 UTC — animations of... Read More
