Landsat-8 False Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images viewed using RealEarth (above) is zoomed in (final image) to show a large iceberg (snow and ice appear as cyan) near the island community of Innaarsuit, Greenland (shades of light green) on 20 July 2018. Media stories about this iceberg can be found here and here.

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1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) showed the rapid intensification of thunderstorms over far southwestern Missouri during the early evening hours on 19 July 2018. Surface outflow boundaries from these storms produced damaging winds (SPC storm reports), including gusts to 45 knots (52 mph) at Branson West at 2355 UTC (text) and 55 knots (63 mph) at Branson (plot | text) at 0025 UTC — and strong winds capsized a boat on Table Rock Lake (located about midway between Branson West Airport KFWB and Branson Airport KBBG, map), resulting in 17 fatalities.

The overshooting tops of these intensifying storms began to penetrate the anvil debris of pre-existing convection after about 2330 UTC in the Monett KHFJ area, with an above-anvil cirrus plume becoming evident after 0000 UTC. The 0025 UTC image showed yet another new cell which had recently developed immediately northeast of Branson; its overshooting tops began rapidly penetrating the anvil debris of the aforementioned storms at 0018 UTC.

The corresponding GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (below) revealed cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures cooling to the -75 to -79ºC range (shades of light gray to white) with these thunderstorms, significantly colder than the -68.5ºC tropopause temperature on the 00 UTC Springfield MO rawinsonde report (plot | text).

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GOES-16 (GOES-East) Upper-level Water Vapor (6.2 µm), Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 µm), Low-level Water Vapor (7.3 µm) and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) revealed the well-defined signature of a mid-tropospheric lobe of vorticity moving from southeastern South Dakota across Iowa during the day on 19 July 2018 — this feature provided synoptic-scale forcing for ascent which aided in the development of severe thunderstorms in central and eastern Iowa. A number of tornadoes were reported, along with some large hail and damaging winds (SPC storm reports).

A closer look using 1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) showed the line of thunderstorms as they developed in advance of an approaching cold/occluded front (surface analyses). Two larger storms were dominant, which produced tornadoes causing significant damage and injuries in Pella KPEA and Marshalltown KMIW — above-anvil cirrus plumes were evident with both of these supercells. In addition, early in the animation a few orphan anvils could be seen along the southern end of the line (southeast and east of Des Moines KDSM).

The corresponding GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (below) showed cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures of -65ºC to -70ºC with the larger Pella storm, and around -55ºC with the smaller Marshalltown storm to the north.

The NOAA/CIMSS ProbSevere model (viewed using RealEarth) had a ProbTor value of 74% at 2055 UTC for the Pella storm (above) and 83% at 2130 UTC for the Marshalltown storm (below). GOES-derived Cloud-top glaciation rate (from infrared imagery) is one of the predictors used in the model.

ProbSevere time series plots for the Pella and Marshalltown cells are shown below. They indicated that the Pella storm was long-lived, persisting past 0300 UTC — and that ProbTor ramped up quickly and then down quickly, bracketing the time of the tornado in Marshalltown.

A toggle between 375-meter resolution Suomi NPP VIIRS Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images at 1946 UTC (below) provided a look at the early stage of development of tornado-producing convection.

Additional satellite imagery and analysis of this event can be found on the Satellite Liaison Blog.

The EF-3 damage at the Vermeer Plant in Pella. Preliminary estimated peak winds of 144 mph and a max tornado width of 400 yards. Tornado end time and path length still TBD. #iawx pic.twitter.com/aMMmhdn21N

— NWS Des Moines (@NWSDesMoines) July 21, 2018

Preliminary damage survey…Lennox Warehouse in Marshalltown where the EF-3 damage occurred caused by 144 mph estimated peak winds. #iawx pic.twitter.com/egcNJqBSOE

— NWS Des Moines (@NWSDesMoines) July 21, 2018

As of 4:09 CDT, a tornado debris signature was about 3 miles NE of Pella, IA moving southeast. Radar and webcam shot from @akrherz. #iawx pic.twitter.com/y8erooTml7

— U.S. Tornadoes (@USTornadoes) July 19, 2018

Tornado Emergency for Marshalltown, IA. A damaging tornado is now making it’s way through Marshalltown. Debris from the tornado is being seen by the radar up to 11,000 ft. Indicating a strong tornado is ongoing! #iawx pic.twitter.com/2eKqFlpe2N

— U.S. Tornadoes (@USTornadoes) July 19, 2018

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* 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.

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).

 

Yesterday’s peak wind gust of 70 MPH at the @GJAirport set a new record wind speed for the month of July, breaking the old record of 68 MPH set on July 14, 2002! #cowx #climate

— NWS Grand Junction (@NWSGJT) July 18, 2018

 

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