GOES-16 Infrared Imagery overnight on the 9th of October shows the evolution of Milton as it moves towards landfall over southwestern Florida. Of note is the disappearance of a pronounced eye. Lightning continues within the eye, however, as shown by the GLM overlay below, and deep convection (black/grey in the enhancement applied) continues to develop and wrap around the eye. Satellite estimates of strength (ADT, for example, from here) continue to show a very strong system.

Derived Motion Wind vectors from GOES-16, shown below on top of an Upper Level Water Vapor image at 1201 UTC, show the excellent outflow that is helping to ventilate Milton. There is very strong outflow above 350 mb to the northeast over Florida and the southeastern United States, and a second outflow channel above 250 mb to the west-southwest over the Yucatan and into the Pacific Ocean. The Water Vapor imagery also shows mid-level drying over the western Gulf of Mexico; perhaps some of that dry air is being entrained into the western edges of Milton, but at sunrise, any weakening due to dry air is subtle at best.

The very strong outflow — a positive for the strength of the storm — also means that Milton is now in an environment of significant vertical wind shear. That is shown in the shear analysis below from the CIMSS Tropical Website.

Both mesoscale sectors for GOES-16 are over Milton as of 1200 UTC on 9 October, meaning 30-second imagery is being produced. The 15-minute animation below was retrieved from the CSPP Geosphere site.

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The National Hurricane Center has the latest information on this storm (link). Heavy Rain is overspreading southwest Florida on 9 October in advance of Milton. Conditions will continue to deteriorate during the day.

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GOES-19 is at its post-launch check-out location over the Equator at 89.5^oW and GOES-16, as GOES-East is over the Equator at 75.2^oW. Mesoscale sectors from both satellites were positioned over the eye of Milton up until about 1330 UTC; subsequent to that time, GOES-19 calibration exercises meant that mesoscale scanning could not happen. The side-by-side images, above, can be viewed so that a three-dimensional image appears. To do that, cross your eyes and focus on the image that appears in between the two images.

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NOAA and NASA recently released the first ABI (Advanced Baseline Imager) imagery from GOES-19. GOES-T was launched on June 25, 2024. See the GOES-U launch as the other GOES ABI monitored the rocket signature with rapid scan imagery), including the re-entry. GOES-19 is the final (fourth) in the GOES-R series and is currently located above the equator at approximately 90W. GOES-19 is slated to become NOAA’s operational GOES-East in spring 2025 after going through extensive post-launch testing. Also, see several CIMSS Satellite Blog posts or this Satellite Liaison Blog post.

GOES-19 Compared to other GOES

While it is still early in the post-launch test period, good qualitative agreement has been shown to other GOES imagers. Of course, due to parallax and other reasons, there are expected to be differences, especially at larger view angles. The above loop as a mp4. Or versions that toggle between GOES-19 and GOES-16 only (mp4)

More 16-panel imagery (from GOES-16, GOES-18 and GOES-19), including time difference images (which can be very useful in assessing image quality). More GOES-19 data can be found on UW/SSEC’s geo-browser and CIRA’s Slider.

And comparisons between GOES-18 (West) and GOES-19 ABI.

ABI Instrument Response Functions

The ABI has 16 spectral bands, 2 in the visible, 4 in the near-infrared (or “near-visible”) and 10 in the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The instrument response functions can be found both on CIMSS and Calibration Working Group sites.

A similar page showing ABI comparisons, but from GOES-18.

H/T

Thanks to the many (thousands) who made the GOES-19 ABI possible. These are GOES-19 ABI are early images (preliminary and non-operational, future calibration improvements are possible. geo2grid and McIDAS-X software was used in generating these images. More about GOES. T. Schmit works for NOAA/NESDIS/STAR.

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There was another exceptional Auroral display over the upper Midwest during the early morning on 8 October 2024. Day Night Band imagery, above, from Suomi NPP (at 0800 UTC) and from — despite the label — NOAA-20 (at 0823 UTC), shows the big change in areal coverage of the northern lights in less than half an hour! An Aurora also occurred early on the 7th, as shown in the images here.

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