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Palisades Fire in southern California

By Scott Bachmeier •

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-17 (GOES-West) Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images (above) displayed the explosive growth of the  Palisades Fire thermal signature late in the day on 15 May 2021. The maximum 3.9 µm brightness temperature sensed was 138.7ºC — which is the saturation temperature for those ABI detectors. The fire prompted evacuation orders in the Topanga, California area.A... Read More

GOES-17 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-17 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-17 (GOES-West) Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images (above) displayed the explosive growth of the  Palisades Fire thermal signature late in the day on 15 May 2021. The maximum 3.9 µm brightness temperature sensed was 138.7ºC — which is the saturation temperature for those ABI detectors. The fire prompted evacuation orders in the Topanga, California area.

A time-matched comparison of Shortwave Infrared images from Suomi NPP VIIRS (3.74 µm) and GOES-17 ABI (3.9 µm) at 0918 UTC or 2:18 am PDT is shown below (overpass times of the Suomi NPP satellite). Although a decrease in the fire’s intensity occurred during the subsequent overnight hours, the Shortwave Infrared brightness temperatures sensed by Suomi NPP and GOES-17 at that time were 59.9ºC and 28.1ºC, respectively.

Shortwave Infrared images from Suomi NPP VIIRS (3.74 µm) and GOES-17 ABI (3.9 µm) at 0918 UTC [click to enlarge]

Shortwave Infrared images from Suomi NPP VIIRS (3.74 µm) and GOES-17 ABI (3.9 µm) at 0918 UTC [click to enlarge]

1-minute GOES-17 True Color RGB images created using Geo2Grid (below) revealed a series of “pyrocumulus jump” events (beginning around 01 UTC), when smoke/cloud material was ejected to higher altitudes than the primary smoke plume.

GOES-17 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-17 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]

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Tropical Invest 90E becomes Tropical Storm Andres

By Scott Bachmeier •

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-17 (GOES-West) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) showed the convective banding associated with Tropical Invest 90E in the East Pacific Ocean on 08 May 2021. Invest 90E was centered along a northward bulge in the ITCZ/Monsoon Trough (below).Invest 90E was located over water characterized by modest Ocean Heat Content and very... Read More

GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and "Clean" Infrared Window images [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-17 (GOES-West) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) showed the convective banding associated with Tropical Invest 90E in the East Pacific Ocean on 08 May 2021. Invest 90E was centered along a northward bulge in the ITCZ/Monsoon Trough (below).

GOES-17 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) image (Mesoscale Sector), with an overlay of the 12 UTC surface analysis [click to enlarge]

Invest 90E was located over water characterized by modest Ocean Heat Content and very warm Sea Surface Temperature values (below), favorable factors for further intensification.

Ocean Heat Content and Sea Surface Temperature [click to enlarge]

Ocean Heat Content and Sea Surface Temperature [click to enlarge]

===== 09 May Update =====

GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and "Clean" Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

1-minute GOES-17 Infrared and Visible images on 09 May (above) showed the period where Invest 90E intensified to a Tropical Depression (at 0900 UTC) and then to Tropical Storm Andres at 1500 UTC — the earliest calendar year tropical storm on record in the East Pacific basin. The convective overshooting tops occasionally exhibited infrared brightness temperatures of -90ºC or colder (yellow pixels embedded within dark purple regions).

A GOES-17 Infrared / Water Vapor Difference product (reference) from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (below) highlighted areas of deep convection where overshooting tops were likely penetrating the tropopause (yellow to red enhancement).

GOES-17 Infrared - Water Vapor Difference product [click to enlarge]

GOES-17 Infrared – Water Vapor Difference product [click to enlarge]

GOES-17 Infrared images, with an overlay of deep-layer wind shear (below) indicated that Andres was approaching an environment of moderate to high shear, which would limit intensification.

GOES-17 Infrared images, with an overlay of deep-layer wind shear [click to enlarge]

GOES-17 Infrared images, with an overlay of deep-layer wind shear [click to enlarge]

===== 10 May Update =====

GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and "Clean" Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

On 10 May, 1-minute GOES-17 Infrared and Visible images (above) showed that after one final convective burst, the low-level center of Tropical Storm Andres became exposed — and the storm was then downgraded to a Tropical Depression at 2100 UTC.

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Blowing dust across Mongolia and China

By Scott Bachmeier •

JMA Himawari-8 Dust RGB images (created using Geo2Grid) covering the 48-hour period from 21 UTC on 04 May to 21 UTC on 06 May 2021 (above) revealed multiple plumes of blowing dust (brighter shades magenta/pink) which originated over parts of Mongolia — and were then transported southeastward and eastward across northeastern China.Surface... Read More

Himawari-8 Dust RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]

Himawari-8 Dust RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]

JMA Himawari-8 Dust RGB images (created using Geo2Grid) covering the 48-hour period from 21 UTC on 04 May to 21 UTC on 06 May 2021 (above) revealed multiple plumes of blowing dust (brighter shades magenta/pink) which originated over parts of Mongolia — and were then transported southeastward and eastward across northeastern China.

Surface analyses from the Korean Meteorological Agency (below) showed an impressive pressure gradient between a midlatidude cyclone (moving southeastward from Mongolia into China) and high pressure moving southward behind it. Some of the airborne dust was entrained into the circulation of this low pressure system.

Surface analyses during the period from 21 UTC on 0 May to 21 UTC on 06 May [click to enlarge | MP4]

Surface analyses during the period from 21 UTC on 04 May to 21 UTC on 06 May [click to enlarge | MP4]

VIIRS True Color RGB mages from Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 viewed using RealEarth (below) showed the hazy arc of blowing dust along the trailing cold front (south of the cyclone in northeastern China) on 6 May.

VIIRS True Color RGB mages from Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 [click to enlarge]

VIIRS True Color RGB mages from Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 [click to enlarge]

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Severe weather across much of the Southeast US

By Scott Bachmeier •

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) include time-matched plots of SPC Storm Reports (predominantly widespread damaging winds, with some large hail and a few tornadoes) produced by a large and long-lived Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) that moved eastward across much of Mississippi and Alabama on 04 May 2021. The strong winds — with some gusts in excess... Read More

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with SPC Storm Reports plotted in red [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with SPC Storm Reports plotted in red [click to play animation | MP4]

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) include time-matched plots of SPC Storm Reports (predominantly widespread damaging winds, with some large hail and a few tornadoes) produced by a large and long-lived Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) that moved eastward across much of Mississippi and Alabama on 04 May 2021. The strong winds — with some gusts in excess of 70 mph — caused power outages which affected several hundred thousand residents (and persisted into the next day: MS | AL).

The corresponding 1-minute GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (below) showed numerous overshooting tops that exhibited infrared brightness temperatures in the -75 to -70ºC range (white pixels embedded within black areas). The MCS also produced heavy rainfall and flooding in parts of northern Alabama.

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images, with SPC Storm Reports plotted in cyan [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images, with SPC Storm Reports plotted in cyan [click to play animation | MP4]



Larger-scale views of 5-minute CONUS Sector GOES-16 Visible and Infrared images are shown below. Several additional MCSs produced a variety of severe weather across other parts of the Southeast US.

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with SPC Storm Reports plotted in red [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with SPC Storm Reports plotted in red [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images, with SPC Storm Reports plotted in cyan [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images, with SPC Storm Reports plotted in cyan [click to play animation | MP4]

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