An EF-1 tornado was on the ground for about 20 minutes near Denair (Local Storm Report | Facebook post) in central California on 15 November 2015. 1-km resolution GOES-15 Visible (0.63 µm) images (above) showed that clusters of small thunderstorms rapidly developed in an environment of instability along and just behind a fast-moving cold frontal... Read More

The Storm Prediction Center has revised its criteria for initiating GOES Rapid Scan Operations (RSO) calls. Previously, RSO was automatically activated when a Moderate Risk (MDT) appeared in the SPC Day 1 Convective Outlook. On October 1st that was changed per a September email from SPC:Starting October 1, the SPC Lead Forecaster... Read More

Today marks the 40-year anniversary of the powerful Great Lakes storm that was responsible for the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald (which occurred on 10 November 1975). The image composites (above, courtesy of Jean Phillips, Schwerdtfeger Library) were constructed from daytime and nighttime overpasses of the NOAA-4 polar-orbiting satellite, and... Read More

GOES-13 Visible Imagery, above, shows Tropical Storm Kate northeast of the Bahamas late in the day on 9 November. The storm is over a region of warm sea surface temperatures, below (imagery from the CIMSS Tropical Weather Site), in an environment of low shear. RapidScat winds show winds between 35 and 40 knots... Read More