JMA Himawari-8 Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

JMA Himawari-8 Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (above) displayed Typhoon Chanthu undergoing a period of rapid intensification — with the appearance of a small-diameter “pinhole eye” within just a few hours — from a Category 2 to a Category 4 storm  (ADT | SATCON) as it moved westward toward the Philippine Sea on 07 September 2021. Chanthu was moving over very warm water (SST | OHC), and an analysis of deep-layer wind shear from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (below) depicted an environment of light shear — all factors which favored rapid intensification. 

JMA Himawari-8 Infrared images, with an analysis of deep-layer wind shear at 15 UTC [click to enlarge]            

===== 08 September Update =====

Himawari-8 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

During the subsequent daytime hours, Chanthu continued its trend of intensification, becoming a Category 5 tropical cyclone at 0600 UTC on 08 September. Himawari-8 Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) showed the west-southwestward motion of the pinhole eye.

Just prior to the time that Chanthu reached Category 5 intensity, a toggle between VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from Suomi NPP as viewed using RealEarth is shown below. The diameter of the eye appeared to be about 5 miles, which is unusually small.

VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from Suomi NPP at 0424 UTC on 08 September [click to enlarge]

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GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (above)  revealed the presence of mesovortices within the eye of Category 3 Hurricane Larry in the central Atlantic Ocean on 06 September 2021.

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NOAA‘s GOES-16 and GOES-17 ABI observed the Firefly Aerospace’s maiden flight from Vandenberg Air Force base.

GOES-16 ABI 16-panel captured the before and after the anomaly (explosion approximately 2.5 minutes after launch). Loop: (animated gif) (mp4).

The parallax effect is very evident comparing GOES-17 and GOES-16 ABI views. Loop: (animated gif) (mp4). What is shown is a multi-spectral “rocket plume” RGB. More about parallax can be explored using this webapp.

These loops were made using McIDAS-X or UW GEO CSPP geo2grid software with data via the UW/SSEC Data Services.

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Tropical Storm Larry has formed in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean. The large-scale view of the tropical Atlantic, shown above, taken from CSPP Geosphere (direct link to the imagery) shows Larry west of Africa. Tropical depression Kate is also apparent, and that storm again has convection near its center as shear there has relaxed. Kate is also moving towards a region with cooler sea surface temperatures.

The animation above shows a brownish color to the True Color imagery, suggestive of dust in the atmosphere, and a Sahara Air Layer analysis from the CIMSS Tropical Website, below, shows a strong signal just north of Larry (click here for the most recent image).

The toggle below shows the Air Mass RGB and low-level water vapor infrared imagery both show a dry signature where the SAL analysis has a strong signature. Note how Tropical Depression Kate is near a signal in the Air Mass RGB — but rather than dry air as in a SAL, this is associated with a Potential Vorticity anomaly, as suggested in this toggle between the Air Mass RGB and a pressure analysis on the 1.5 PVU surface (from the UKMET model).

Larry is forecast to stay south of the dry air, and forecast to become a strong storm (Shear values near the storm are small, based on the 1300 UTC analysis). For more details, refer to the National Hurricane Center.

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