A sequence of Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm), Near-Infrared (1.61 µm and 2.25 µm), Shortwave Infrared (3.75 µm) and Active Fires product at 2335 UTC on 04 August 2020 (above) showed nighttime reflective and thermal signatures of the fire that was burning about 8.5 hours following a large explosion that occurred at 1508 UTC in Beirut, Lebanon.

Plots of Spectral Response Functions (SRFs) for similar spectral bands on the GOES-R series ABI instrument (1.61 µm, 2.24 µm and 3.9 µm) are shown below — note that the 1.61 µm and 2.24 µm SRF curves are located close to the peak emitted radiance of very hot features such as large fires.

EUMETSAT Meteosat-8 Visible (0.8 µm) images (below) showed a subtle signature of the explosion cloud as it slowly spread out to the northwest, west and southwest before sunset. Station identifier OLBA is Beirut  Rafic Hariri International Airport.

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CIMSS has hosted the MODIS Today website for many years.  Its follow-on, the VIIRS Today has gone live as of 4 August 2020.

As with MODIS today, the USA is subdivided into 8 sectors, and imagery on a 2-km, 1-km and 250-m grid is provided, even though VIIRS’ best resolution at nadir is 375 m (and 750 m for the Day Night Band).

The images above show True-Color and False Color imagery from Suomi NPP on shortly after noon on 3 August over the northeast United States, along with Day Night Band Imagery from NOAA-20, also from (the early morning of) 3 August, shortly before the Full Moon.

VIIRS Today does have an archive going back several years.  The website allows you to choose either Suomi-NPP or NOAA-20 data (links at the page will also show you today’s Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20 orbital passes), and you can view True Color Imagery (combining channels only in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum), False-Color Imagery (combining visible and near-infrared information) or (unique to VIIRS) Day Night Band Imagery.  There is also a link to a webpage showing the Moon Phase.

The image below, downloaded from VIIRS Today, shows the NOAA-20 Day Night Band composite from the morning of 4 August 2020 (link).

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1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (above) showed the 10-hour period leading up to the time when Tropical Storm Isaias re-intensified to Category 1 hurricane intensity on 03 August 2020. The center of Isaias passed near Buoy 41004 (below) — ahead of the storm, there was a wind gust to 62 knots (71 mph) at 21 UTC, and after the storm  center had passed there was a wind gust to 68 knots (78 mph).

GOES-16 Infrared images with and without an overlay of GLM Flash Extent Density (below) showed that there was some lightning activity associated with areas of deep convection around the center of Isaias.

Hurricane Isaias made landfall  in North Carolina at 0315 UTC on 04 August (11:15 PM EDT); a few hours later, VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) images from the VIIRS Today site (below) showed the hurricane as it was moving further inland.

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An animation of Topography + GOES-17 (GOES-West) “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (above) showed a southward-moving band of clouds responsible for producing heavy rainfall across portions of Interior Alaska on 02 August 2020. Cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures were as cold as -58ºC (brighter shades of yellow).

GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images are shown below.

Blended Total Precipitable Water (TPW) and Percent of Normal TPW images during the 01-02 August time period (below) portrayed TPW values as high as 1.5 inches just north of Lake Minchumina — which was >190% of the normal value for this location and time of year.

A sequence of VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP as viewed using RealEarth (below) revealed cloud-top infrared brightness in the -60 to -65ºC range (darker shades of red) within this cloud band.

The deluge is winding down, but this is one for the ages: McKinley River RAWS, about 25 miles SW of Lake Minchumina, has received 4.42" of rain in the past 12 hours. It's very localized, but surely this is the highest 12-hour rain ever in Interior Alaska. #akwx @Climatologist49 pic.twitter.com/5Xy5yhXS7g

— Rick Thoman (@AlaskaWx) August 2, 2020

Rainfall totals for the 24 hours ending 6pm AKDT Sunday. Most of these are not notable for August…except for that “small” area in western Denali Borough which includes probably the highest one-day #rainfall on record in Alaska north of the Alaska Range. #akwx @Climatologist49 pic.twitter.com/RAh3r6Jaht

— Rick Thoman (@AlaskaWx) August 3, 2020

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