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Comparisons of GOES-15, GOES-16 and GOES-17

By Scott Bachmeier •

* GOES-17 imagery shown here are preliminary and non-operational *A 3-panel comparison of Visible images from GOES-15 (GOES-West), GOES-17 and GOES-16 (GOES-East) shown above highlights the dissipation of fog in the Strait of Juan de Fuca during the morning hours on 17 July 2018. The three sets of images are displayed in the native... Read More

Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm, left), GOES-17 (0.64 µm, center) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm, right) [click to play animation | MP4]

Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm, left), GOES-17 (0.64 µm, center) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm, right) [click to play animation | MP4]

* GOES-17 imagery shown here are preliminary and non-operational *

A 3-panel comparison of Visible images from GOES-15 (GOES-West), GOES-17 and GOES-16 (GOES-East) shown above highlights the dissipation of fog in the Strait of Juan de Fuca during the morning hours on 17 July 2018. The three sets of images are displayed in the native projection of each satellite (with no re-mapping) — GOES-17 was at its post-launch checkout location of 89.5ºW longitude.  Images from GOES-16/17 were at 5-minute intervals, while images from GOES-15 were every 5-15 minutes depending on the operational scan schedule of that GOES-West satellite.

A similar 3-satellite comparison shown below focuses on the development of showers and thunderstorms across western Montana, between Missoula KMSO and Butte KBTM. The improved spatial resolution (0.5 km at satellite sub-point for GOES-16/17, vs 1.0 km for GOES-15) and more frequent images allowed small-scale features of the storms to be more easily identified and followed.

Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm, left), GOES-17 (0.64 µm, center) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm, right) [click to play animation | MP4]

Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm, left), GOES-17 (0.64 µm, center) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm, right) [click to play animation | MP4]

One final comparison, shown below, depicts thunderstorms over western Colorado — outflow boundaries south of these storms produced strong surface winds in the Grand Junction area (SPC storm reports).

Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm, left), GOES-17 (0.64 µm, center) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm, right) [click to play animation | MP4]

Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm, left), GOES-17 (0.64 µm, center) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm, right) — SPC storm reports of wind are plotted in red [click to play animation | MP4]

 

 

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Ferguson Fire in California forms a pyrocumulonimbus cloud

By Scott Bachmeier •

* GOES-17 images shown here are preliminary and non-operational *The Ferguson Fire in central California produced a pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) cloud during the afternoon hours on 15 July 2018. GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (above) showed that the high-altitude portion of the pyroCb cloud then drifted... Read More

GOES-16

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm, left), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm, center) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm, right) images [click to play MP4 animation]

* GOES-17 images shown here are preliminary and non-operational *

The Ferguson Fire in central California produced a pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) cloud during the afternoon hours on 15 July 2018. GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (above) showed that the high-altitude portion of the pyroCb cloud then drifted northeastward toward the California/Nevada border, where cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures cooled to near -55ºC (orange enhancement) as it crossed the border around 0005 UTC on 16 July.

A comparison of Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm), GOES-17 (0.64 µm) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm) is shown below — with the imagery displayed in the native projection of each satellite. Images from GOES-16/17 are at 5-minute intervals, while images from GOES-15 are every 5-15 minutes depending on the operational scan schedule of that GOES-West satellite. GOES-17 was at its post-launch checkout position of 89.5ºW longitude, so it offered a more direct view of the pyroCb cloud.

Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm, left), GOES-17 (0.64 µm, center) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm, right) [click to play animation]

Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm, left), GOES-17 (0.64 µm, center) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm, right) [click to play animation]

A toggle between NOAA-19 Visible (0.63 µm), Shortwave Infrared (3.7 µm) and Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images (below) showed the pyroCb cloud southwest of the California/Nevada border (between Bridgeport KBAN and Mammoth KMMH) at 2327 UTC. In spite of a minimum cloud-top 10.8 µm infrared brightness temperature of -59ºC (red enhancement), note the darker (warmer) appearance of the cloud on the 3.7 µm image — this is due to reflection of solar radiation off the smaller ice particles of the pyroCb anvil. The -59ºC temperature roughly corresponded to an altitude of 13 km or 42.6 kft on the 00 UTC Reno, Nevada rawinsonde report (plot | data)

NOAA-19 Visible (0.63 µm), Shortwave Infrared (3.7 µm) and Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images [click to enlarge]

NOAA-19 Visible (0.63 µm), Shortwave Infrared (3.7 µm) and Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images [click to enlarge]

A time lapse of the pyroCb was created by Sierra Fire Watch (below).

Time lapse [click to play YouTube video]

Time lapse [click to play YouTube video]

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Occluded cyclone in southern Canada

By Scott Bachmeier •

A 4-panel comparison of GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Low-level Water Vapor (7.3 µm), Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm) and Upper-level Water Vapor (6.2 µm) images (above) showed a large occluded cyclone (surface analyses) over northern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba on 15 July 2018. In the cold sector of the storm, morning temperatures were confined to... Read More

GOES-16

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm, upper left), Low-level Water Vapor (7.3 µm, upper right), Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm, lower left) and Upper-level Water Vapor (6.2 µm, lower right) images [click to play animation]

A 4-panel comparison of GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Low-level Water Vapor (7.3 µm), Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm) and Upper-level Water Vapor (6.2 µm) images (above) showed a large occluded cyclone (surface analyses) over northern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba on 15 July 2018. In the cold sector of the storm, morning temperatures were confined to the 40s F — especially at Churchill, Manitoba where strong easterly winds were blowing off Hudson Bay.

A closer examination of the GOES-16 images (below) revealed the presence of waves over southwestern Manitoba on the Water Vapor imagery — these appeared to vertically-propagating waves which formed due to the interaction of strong boundary layer winds with the topography of that area (some land features rise to 2600 feet). These waves then began breaking and propagating slowly westward late in the animation.

GOES-16 "Red" Visible (0.64 µm, upper left), Low-level Water Vapor (7.3 µm, upper right), Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm, lower left) and Upper-level Water Vapor (6.2 µm, lower right) images [click to play animation]

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm, upper left), Low-level Water Vapor (7.3 µm, upper right), Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm, lower left) and Upper-level Water Vapor (6.2 µm, lower right) images [click to play animation]

A NOAA-20 VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) image (below) showed numerous smoke plumes from wildfires in southeastern Manitoba and western Ontario, as well as the light cyan color of ice in central and eastern portion of Hudson Bay (ice analysis: northern | southern).

NOAA-20 VIIRS True Color RGB image [click to enlarge]

NOAA-20 VIIRS True Color RGB image [click to enlarge]

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Ferguson Fire in central California

By Scott Bachmeier •

* GOES-17 imagery shown here are preliminary and non-operational *A comparison of Visible images from GOES-15 (GOES-West), GOES-17 and GOES-16 (GOES-East)  on 14 July 2018 is shown above — in addition to thunderstorms over the high terrain of the Sierra Nevada, the development of a pyrocumulus cloud (with a small overshooting top)... Read More

Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm, left), GOES-17 (0.64 µm, center) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm, right) [click to play animation | MP4]

Visible images from GOES-15 (0.63 µm, left), GOES-17 (0.64 µm, center) and GOES-16 (0.64 µm, right) [click to play animation | MP4]

* GOES-17 imagery shown here are preliminary and non-operational *

A comparison of Visible images from GOES-15 (GOES-West), GOES-17 and GOES-16 (GOES-East)  on 14 July 2018 is shown above — in addition to thunderstorms over the high terrain of the Sierra Nevada, the development of a pyrocumulus cloud (with a small overshooting top) can be seen over the Ferguson Fire that had been burning for nearly a day near Yosemite National Park in central California.

Images from GOES-16/17 are at 5-minute intervals, while image intervals from the older GOES-15 satellite range from 5-30 minutes. The improved spatial resolution of the GOES-16/17 0.64 µm visible imagery (0.5 km at satellite sub-point, compared to 1.0 km for GOES-15) allowed finer details of the overshooting top to be seen — and the improved image-to-image navigation of the new GOES-16/17 satellites was also apparent (note the significant navigation errors in a few of the GOES-15 images).

A photo from the ground (below) showed a large pyrocumulus cloud towering over the top of the dense smoke.

 

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