GOES-16 (GOES-East) Day Snow-Fog RGB images (above) showed widespread horizontal convective rolls (HCRs) that were streaming southeastward across much of the north-central US — in the wake of a strong arctic cold front — on 22 December 2022. This HCR signature is often accompanied by significant blowing snow; in fact, many Interstate highways were closed on this day in portions of North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. Wind gusts as high as 60 mph were recorded in South Dakota.

On 23 December, GOES-16 Day Snow-Fog RGB images (below) displayed a long but narrow plume of HCRs that originated over the southern end of Lake Manitoba — which crossed the US/Canada border and streamed across far northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Surface visibility was reduced to 1/4 mile at some sites in Minnesota where the HCR signature was observed; wind gusts as high as 52 mph were reported across that area.

These blowing snow events occurred during a significant and widespread outbreak of arctic air across much of the Lower 48 states during the 21 December – 23 December period, as an anomalously-deep mid-tropospheric trough descended southward and southeastward from Canada — GOES-16 Air Mass RGB images (below) displayed the beige to pale orange hues that are normally associated with such arctic outbreaks (for example, in January 2019). On the morning of 22 December, two locations in western Montana reported low temperatures of –50ºF (the first occurrence of -50ºF in the Lower 48 states during the 2022-2023 winter season).

Additional details and imagery of this arctic outbreak and associated episodes of blowing snow can be found on the Satellite Liaison Blog.

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NOAA‘s GOES ABI has been monitoring the late year cold air outbreak over the contiguous US.

Infrared Imagery

During these extreme cold air outbreaks, it may seem like the infrared imagery “confuses” clouds and the cold ground, but this isn’t the case as the instrument just monitors the heat of the radiating surface, be it a cold cloud top or cold land (or warmer sea surfaces). More likely, as the case below, a certain temperature threshold is used for the color enhancement, in this case colder than -20C. More imagery, including the CONUS sectors. A still image from 13 UTC on December 23, 2022.

Land Surface Temperature

The Land Surface Temperature is one of the many derived products from the ABI. Both the Full Disk and CONUS sectors are included. Note how the cold air has come from central Canada.

Cloud Heights

Cloud heights are another derived quantity from the ABI radiances. Most algorithms are able to discern the cold ground from cold clouds.

And the corresponding legend.

H/T

Thanks to all those to help produce the GOES radiances and derived products. More information on Level 2 products.

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It’s very hard to choose just one event from every month of the year, but the goal is to show the range of phenomena and locations that NOAA‘s GOES ABI routinely monitors, in this case during 2022. Most loops generated are from the University of Wisconsin-Madison CIMSS Satellite Blog, which is linked from the top of the entries. Imagery from GOES-16, -17 and -18 is showcased, along with the sectors it scans: Full Disk (10-min intervals), Contiguous US (5-min intervals) and mesoscale sectors (30-sec to 1-min intervals).

January Hunga Tonga Volcano

These GOES animations show the rapid expansion of a volcanic cloud following an explosive eruption of Hunga Tonga on 15 January 2022, as well as the pulse of energy as it spreads out from the center as evident in a series of time difference images. A similar GOES-17 ABI loop won the 2022 University of Wisconsin-Madison Cool Science Images (in the animation category).

February Snow Squalls over Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin

The greenish colors show clear, snow-covered ground, the purplish colors the low-clouds (snow squalls), while the orange colors denote high clouds. A direct link to the above mp4 video.

March Widfires and Smoke

A direct link to the loop showing the smoke plume in Texas with GOES-16 imagery every minute; as well as the 4-panel AWIPS display that included derived fire products.

April Smoke and Dust

GOES-16 (GOES-East) True Color RGB images revealed dense smoke plumes moving southeastward from wildfires in New Mexico, while blowing dust plunged southward from Colorado/Kansas (along and behind a cold front). The mp4 animation.

May Early GOES-18 ABI

GOES-T was launched on March 1st (monitored by 30-sec imagery from both GOES-16 and -17) and once it was in a geostationary orbit, became GOES-18. These image are from early in its on-orbit check-out. The mp4 loop of the ABI spectral bands. Many imagery comparisons.

June Midwest storms

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images include time-matched SPC Storm Reports — and showed the development severe thunderstorms across parts of Iowa, Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

July Hurricane Darby

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-17 (GOES-West) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images showed the evolution of the eye of Hurricane Darby as it moved westward across the East Pacific Ocean on 11 July 2022. Mesovortices were evident within the eye.

Bonus case: Fog

A link to the above animation, as well as one transitioning to a composite of visible ABI bands during the day light hours.

August 30-sec imagery

The above loop, plus a visible band loop, as well as one from the longwave window infrared ABI band (which has been color-coded).

Bonus case: Ice

GOES-16 True Color RGB images showed patches of remnant thick first-year ice in southern Hudson Bay, Canada (off the coast of Ontario).

September Hurricanes Ian / Charley comparison

The mp4 loop from above demonstrating the great advances in monitoring hurricanes between 2004 and 2022, comparing GOES-16 (on the left) and GOES-12 (on the right). A 16 panel of Hurricane Ian from the ABI showing the range of scales that the ABI monitors in a given image.

October Tropical Invest

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB images showed the compact exposed low-level circulation of Tropical Invest 94L as it moved northward away from Bermuda. Satellites are key in monitoring hurricane formations.

November Volcanic eruption in Hawaii

A mp4 loop of the Ash/Dust Probability, as well as the 16 ABI spectral bands. Note there are 2 visible, 4 near-infrared and 10 infrared bands. Satellites are critical for monitoring volcanic ash that can pose a hazard to aviation safety.

December MTG-I1 Rocket Launch

EUMETSAT‘s MTG-I1 launched from French Guyana, the plume was captured with 1-min GOES-16 meso-scale sectors.

Bonus: Summer Solstice to Winter Solstice

The terminator clearly shows the changing illumination of the Earth from the Sun over the seasons, in this cases from the (northern hemisphere) summer to winter solstices. And an interactive web page. A similar loop from 2021. Several webapps that help explain the seasons. A 17 UTC daily loop over 2022.

H/T

Thanks to all who make the satellite imagery possible, the ingest and software to display the imagery (including, but not limited to McIDAS-X, geo2grid, geosphere, Real Earth and AWIPS) and all who generated CIMSS Satellite Blog entries, especially Scott Bachmeier and Scott Lindstrom. Special thanks to Mat Gunshor and Jim Nelson of UW/CIMSS.

A similar ‘Year in Review’ for 2021; 2022 by NOAA Satellites.

Also, some “top 25” GOES-16 and GOES-17 ABI loops. Also see the Satellite Liaison Blog.

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By animating daily NOAA GOES-16 ABI Full Disk true color imagery, how the Earth is illuminated over time can be seen. For example, the minimum in incoming solar radiation in the Northern Hemisphere associated with the Winter Solstice. For details, see “What is a Solstice?” by SciJinks. Or this NOAA https://www.noaa.gov/education/news/share-your-solstice-sunset-with-noaa-education post.

11 UTC loops from the Summer to Winter Solstices. These posted GOES ABI Full Disk imagery are only showing a small number of the pixels, for a fuller resolution image at one time (20-March-2022).

The above loop, and slowed down to a duration of 1min. The 16 bands of ABI from GOES-West and GOES-East from UW/CIMSS.

Interactive web page

An interactive web page with almost a years (2022) worth of GOES ABI Full Disk visible images at 11 UTC. The beginning date is the (northern hemisphere) summer solstice in 2022 and the end date is the winter solstice in 2022. A user can play the animation, as well as annotate the images. For example, draw lines along the terminator for different times of the year. One example might be to compare a solstice to an equinox. Can you estimate the day of the summery equinox? H/T Tom Whittaker, SSEC, for the webapp, as well as those below.

Compare two images

Drag the vertical bar to display a Northern Hemisphere (NH) GOES-16 11 UTC image at the Summer or Winter Solstices.

A short movie, showing a Summer Solstice, Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice GOES-16 ABI 11 UTC image.

Webapps about the Seasons

H/T

These images were made using NOAA data with geo2grid software, from UW-Madison, SSEC. T. Whittaker is thanked for the webapps.

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