An animation of GOES-17 Band 13 10.3 µm infrared imagery, above, shows the development of concentric circles of cold, warm, cold and warm surrounding the high peaks of the island of Hawai’i (Click here to see a topographic view). The warmth apparent around the peaks at the start of the... Read More

MODIS-derived (from Terra and Aqua satellites) Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF), above, (as noted in this blog post), shows the (meager) snow distribution as of early December. How many counties (or parishes) in the United States (out of more than 3000!) are clearly delineated in Satellite Imagery such as what is shown... Read More

On the morning of Sunday, November 7th, numerous elongated hole punch clouds were visible over the Upper Midwest, including parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota. Also called fall streak clouds, these are a relatively rare phenomenon that form because of the unusual properties of cloud droplets.While most people know... Read More

GOES-16 sea-surface temperatures on 1 April 2021 show a region of much cooler temperatures — values around 74ºF , green in the color enhancement used) — surrounded by warmer sea-surface temperatures (values in the mid-80sºF, yellows and oranges in the color enhancement) to the southwest of Nicaragua. Why does this... Read More