GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (above) showed the development of an elongated band of training thunderstorms that was responsible for producing record rainfall and flash flooding in the St. Louis, Missouri area during the nighttime hours leading up to sunrise on 26 July 2022. The coldest GOES-16 cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures were around -75ºC.

A Suomi-NPP VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) image valid at 0802 UTC (below) displayed the large Mesoscale Convective System as it was just beginning to move away from the St. Louis (KSTL) area. The coldest cloud-top infrared brightness temperature in the VIIRS image was -83ºC (within the interior shades of violet). These thunderstorms developed as a southwesterly low-level jet began to increase isentropic upglide across and north of a stationary front that was located just south of the deep convection (surface analyses | WPC Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion).

A historic morning in the St. Louis area. Our hearts are with all of those affected from this catastrophic flooding. Here are some facts that put this rainfall into historical perspective. #mowx #stlwx pic.twitter.com/jUtOGl8ioq

— NWS St. Louis (@NWSStLouis) July 26, 2022

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GOES-18 images shown in this blog post are preliminary and non-operational

GOES-17 (GOES-West) True Color RGB images created using Geo2Grid (above) showed the Oak Fire smoke plume as it spread northwestward across California on 24 July 2022. The Oak Fire has become the largest wildfire of California’s 2022 season.

Overlapping 1-minute GOES-18 Mesoscale Domain Sectors provided 30-second imagery — “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images are shown below.

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm), Fire Power and Fire Temperature images (below) showed the thermal characteristics of the Oak Fire during the day. The Fire Temperature and Fire Power derived products are components of the GOES Fire Detection and Characterization Algorithm FDCA.

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1-minute Mesosca’le Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) include plots of time-matched SPC Storm Reports — and showed a Mesoscale Convective System that moved east-southeastward across parts of South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin on 23 July 2022.

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (below) indicated that the coldest overshooting tops exhibited infrared brightness temperatures around -70 to -75ºC (white pixels within darker black enhancement).

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NOAA-20’s afternoon path on 21 July 2022 (here, from this site) allowed for a complete view of the Great Lakes, as shown here, and mostly clear skies meant that ACSPO Lake Surface Temperatures were produced; these are here, and also included in the animation above that also includes mid-lake buoy observations. Lake Superior is still quite chilly — surface temperatures over a large part of the lake hover near 40^o F! These surface temperature are below normal (link, from this site) Warmest Great Lakes temperatures are (as is also typical) over western Lake Erie, where values are in the low 80s (^oF).

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