1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (above) displayed the increasing coverage of thunderstorms along the Colorado/Kansas border on 13 August 2019, These thunderstorms produced a few tornadoes and large hail — including hail of 5.00 inches in diameter at 2135 UTC near Bethune in extreme eastern Colorado (SPC storm reports).

 

@NWSBoulder @NWSGoodland I am verifying what looks to be a record setting hailstone for #cowx Am told this fell near Bethune this afternoon. Would easily beat the 4.5″ record… Given the way the radar looked, I wouldn’t be surprised. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/LiUazILn6r

— Brian Bledsoe (@BrianBledsoe) August 13, 2019

A toggle between NOAA-20 VIIRS Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images (below) showed the storms at 2022 UTC — just over an hour before the 5.00-inch hail report at 2135 UTC. Note that the NOAA-20 images are incorrectly labelled as Suomi NPP.

The NOAA-20 NUCAPS profile for the green dot in far western Kansas (below) showed that the airmass in advance of the approaching thunderstorms was very unstable, with a Most Unstable parcel Convective Available Potential Energy (MU CAPE) value of 2737 J/kg and a Lifted Index (LI) value of -10ºC (with no Convective Inhibition CINH).

In contrast, the NUCAPS profile for the green dot in eastern Colorado (below) revealed an airmass that was less unstable in the wake of the departing thunderstorms.

===== 14 August Update =====

NWS Goodland Public Information Statement.

 

Preliminary results from NWS Goodland and @ColoradoClimate survey. These results will undergo final review for an official measurement. pic.twitter.com/2E279DeTsa

— NWS Goodland (@NWSGoodland) August 14, 2019

Update: along with @NWSGoodland, today we measured the hailstone that fell NW of Bethune, CO on Tuesday, 13 August. The maximum diameter was 4.83″, which exceeds the long-standing state record of 4.5″. (1/2) #cowx

— ColoClimateCenter (@ColoradoClimate) August 14, 2019

 

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NOAK49 PAFG 110400 CCA
PNSAFG
AKZ222-111600-

Public Information Statement…CORRECTED
National Weather Service Fairbanks AK
800 PM AKDT Sat Aug 10 2019

…Lightning Detected within 300 Miles of North Pole Today…

A number of lightning strikes were recorded between 4pm and 6pm
today within 300 miles of the North Pole. The lightning strikes
occurred near 85 degrees north, 120 degrees east, which is about
700 miles north of the Lena River Delta of Siberia. This lightning
was detected by the GLD lightning detection network which is used
by the National Weather Service. This is one of the furthest
north lightning strikes in Alaska Forecaster memory.

$$

JB

As noted by the NWS Fairbanks forecast office, lightning was detected with a thunderstorm located over the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia between 6-8 pm AKDT on 10 August (or 00-02 UTC on 11 August 2019). A sequence of AVHRR Visible (0.63 µm) and Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images from NOAA-15 (at 2315 UTC), NOAA-19 (at 0100 UTC) and NOAA-15 (at 0232 UTC) (below) showed the eastward motion of this thunderstorm, which had developed in advance of a 500 hPa lobe of vorticity — the coldest cloud-top infrared brightness temperature associated with this feature was -49.9ºC (yellow enhancement) at 0100 UTC.

A number of lightning strikes were recorded Saturday evening (Aug. 10th) within 300 miles of the North Pole. The lightning strikes occurred near 85°N and 126°E. This lightning was detected by Vaisala’s GLD lightning detection network. #akwx pic.twitter.com/6jdxeMPBdH

— NWS Fairbanks (@NWSFairbanks) August 11, 2019

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JMA 2.5-minute rapid scan Himawari-8 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (above) showed the eye and eyewall region of Category 4 Super Typhoon Lekima on 07-08 August 2019. Features of interest included surface mesovortices within the eye, eyewall cloud-top gravity waves, and a quasi-stationary “cloud cliff” notch extending northwestward from the eye (infrared brightness temperature contours). This cloud cliff feature has been observed with other intense tropical cyclones (for example, Typhoon Neoguri in 2014).

VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 as viewed using RealEarth are shown below.

The trochoidal motion (or wobble) of the eye of Lekima became very pronounced as it crossed the Ryukyu Islands, as seen in an animation of 2.5-minute rapid scan Himawari-8  Infrared images (below). The center of the tropical cyclone moved between Miyakojima (ROMY) and Ishigakijima (ROIG), which reported wind gusts to 67 knots and 64 knots respectively.

Himawari-8 Infrared images with contours and streamlines of deep-layer wind shear at 15 UTC from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (below) indicated that Lekima was moving through an environment of very low shear, which was a factor aiding its intensification.

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An animation that cycles through GOES-17 (GOES-West) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) and Upper-level Water Vapor (6.2 µm) images (above) showed Tropical Depression Flossie just northeast of Hawai’i on 05 August 2019. Note that (1) the exposed low-level circulation center (LLCC) was very apparent in the visible imagery, (2) deep convection offset to the east/northeast of the LLCC exhibited cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures as cold as -83ºC , and (3) a series of gravity waves were propagating westward away from the convection, moving toward Hawai’i.

GOES-15 Infrared imagery and deep-layer wind shear data from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (below) showed that the tropical cyclone was in an environment of strong shear, which was responsible for the displacement between the exposed LLCC and the convection. In addition to the wind shear, the weakening trend of the system was also due to its motion over cold Sea Surface Temperatures and low Ocean Heat Content.

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