1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images, with and without an overlay of GLM Flash Extent Density (above) showed the period leading up to the formation of Tropical Storm Arthur during the evening of 16 May 2020 (at 03 UTC on 17 May) — making it the first tropical cyclone of the season in the Atlantic Basin. There were periods of lightning activity within the elongated cluster of deep convection east of the storm center.

==== 17 May Update =====

During most of the day on 17 May, the low-level circulation center of Arthur was easily seen in 1-minute GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above).

The corresponding GOES-16 Infrared images — with and without an overlay of GLM Flash Extent Density — are shown below.

===== 18 May Update =====

1-minute GOES-16 Visible images (above) showed that the low-level circulation center of Arthur became exposed during the day on 18 May. The center of Arthur passed very close to the Diamond Shoals buoy just off the coast of North Carolina (wind/pressure plot).

GOES-16  Visible images with plots of Metop ASCAT winds (below) revealed surface winds as high as 37 knots just east of the center of Arthur.

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1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images with plots of time-matched SPC Storm Reports (above) showed back-building thunderstorms that propagated southwestward across Oklahoma on 15 May 2020.

The corresponding GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (below) revealed pulsing overshooting tops that occasionally exhibited cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures as cold as -80ºC (violet pixels) toward the end of the time period.

Plots of 12 UTC and 18 UTC rawinsonde data from Norman, Oklahoma (below) indicated that winds throughout the troposphere had a westerly to southerly component.

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A collection of 60 BAMS covers spanning the years, to highlight the rapid advance of imaging from the geostationary orbit, is shown above (a version that loops more slowly can be seen here). The first cover is the first of BAMS, in January of 1920, while the second, from January of 1957 is the first time artificial ‘satellite’ was in a title of a BAMS article. The third image, from November of 1957, is a remarkable article on potential uses of satellites. This included both qualitative uses: (1) Clouds, (2) Cloud Movements, (3) Drift of Atmospheric Pollutants, (4) State of the Surface of the Sea (or of Large Lakes), (5) Visibility or Atmospheric Transparency to Light — and quantitative uses: (1) Albedo, (2) Temperature  of  a  Level  at  or  Near  the Tropopause, (3) Total Moisture Content., (4) Total  Ozone  Content, (5) Surface  (Ground-Air Interface) Temperature, and (6) Snow Cover. Early covers showcase rockets, balloons and high-altitude aircraft to prepare the way to human space travel (Gemini, Apollo, etc.), polar-orbiters (TIROS, NIMBUS, VHRR, NOAA, etc.) and finally geostationary orbit (ATS-1, ATS-3, SMS, GOES, Meteosat, INSAT, Himawari, etc.).

Reasons to look back at the BAMS covers:

• As part of the 100th anniversary, the AMS has digitized the BAMS “cover to cover”, including the ads
• 50th anniversary of NOAA (October)
• By looking back, we can understand how quickly remote sensing as progressed

Interactive web page, with links to the original “front matter”.

Note: All cover images are from the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

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JMA 2.5-minute rapid scan Himawari-8 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (above) showed Typhoon Vongfong during the 24 hours covering its rapid intensification to Category 3 intensity on 13 May (ADT | SATCON) and eventual landfall on Samar Island in the Philippines as a Category 2 storm on 14 May 2020. There were intermittent appearances of a well-defined eye, as well as multiple eyewall convective bursts during that period.

A toggle between NOAA-20 VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images (below) offered a nighttime view of Vongfong at 1703 UTC on 13 May. There was ample illumination from the Moon (in the Waning Gibbous phase, at 61% of Full) to provide a detailed Day/Night Band image of the tropical cyclone when it was at Category 2 intensity.

Suomi NPP VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images as viewed using RealEarth (below) showed Vongfong around the time it was making landfall shortly after 04 UTC  on 14 May.

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