NOAA-20 Imagery shown in this post is Non-Operational and preliminary and undergoing testing.

Himawari-8 captured the slow southward progress of Cyclone Marcus along 105 E Longitude between 0900 and 1540 UTC, as shown above.  During those six hours, the storm presentation suggested weakening, with a reduction in the central dense overcast and a warming of the eye.

Earlier, on 21 March at around 1800 UTC, the storm was at Category 5 Intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and showed excellent presentation in the Day Night Band imagery, despite the lack of lunar illumination, and in the infrared (Click here for a toggle between the 0.70 µm Day Night Band Visible imagery and the 11.45 µm infrared imagery from Suomi NPP).  Significant Mesospheric Gravity Waves are apparent in all three images, the first (1710 UTC 21 March) and last (1850 UTC 21 March) from NOAA-20, and the middle (1800 UTC 21 March) from Suomi NPP.  (The waves are most prominent in the 1710 UTC Image from NOAA-20) The figure shows how Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 data can be used to create animations. A similar animation with Infrared Imagery (1710, 1800, and 1850 UTC) is below. (Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 Imagery courtesy Will Straka, CIMSS).

Morphed microwave imagery for the 48 hours ending at about 1300 UTC on 22 March (from this site) show the evolution of the strong convection surrounding Marcus.  Eyewall convection has diminished on 22 March.

Added: Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 also observe the atmosphere at Microwave wavelengths using ATMS (The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder). This toggle (created using McIDAS-V and data from the NOAA CLASS system) shows the 31 and 88 Ghz observations with the 11.45 VIIRS observations of the eye of Marcus at 1757 UTC on 21 March. The same brightness temperature enhancement is used for each image. Note that each observation shows a slightly different center location for the storm.

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NOAA-20 Imagery shown in this post is Non-Operational and preliminary and undergoing testing.

The imagery above shows a toggle between the Day Night Band Visible (0.70 µm) Imagery and the I05 Infrared (11.45 µm) Imagery on NOAA-20. The strong nor’easter affecting the East Coast of the United States is apparent in the imagery. Strong convection over the warm water south of the Gulf Stream to the east of the Carolinas is apparent in cold cloud tops in the infrared, and in lightning streaks in the Day Night Band imagery. The waxing crescent moon at the time was below the horizon; Earthglow is thus the primary illumination source for the clouds over the ocean. Over land, city lights are apparent, even through the thick precipitating clouds associated with the storm.

Additionally, the fine spatial resolution in the Infrared imagery allows for the identification of cloud-top gravity wave features in the warm conveyor belt over eastern Pennsylvania and New York, and also elsewhere.

Microwave imagery from Suomi NPP can be used to estimate rain rate (Here’s the OSPO site that shows this product from NOAA-18 and -19, and also Metop A and B; the Operational Blended Rain Rate product is here). The Real Earth image below shows Rain Rate from Suomi NPP ATMS data as calculated from the Direct Broadcast signal in Madison, WI; the entire system is not quite captured from the antenna in Madison, WI. Data that are used to compute the Rain Rate include 90 Ghz, shown here (also from Real Earth).  The heavy precipitation with the convection over the Atlantic is readily apparent.  Precipitation with this system extends back into Indiana!

GOES-16 captured the temporal evolution of this storm. The animation of low-level water vapor (7.34) infrared imagery, below, shows a well-developed warm conveyor belt well to the east of an upper level feature that is wobbling westward over northern Kentucky. A second upper-level circulation develops northern Virginia and is obvious over West Virginia at the end of the animation. Strong subsidence can be inferred behind the storm as well, where the yellows/oranges appear in this water vapor enhancement, suggesting brightness temperatures around -10ºC. Very dry air is apparent north of the storm: The St Lawrence River is visible in the water vapor animation!

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Suomi-NPP True-Color imagery (above, from Real Earth) from 17-20 March 2018 show the break-up of pack ice in eastern Lake Erie. (Clouds with the big Nor-easter prevented views on 21-22 March). Winds at both Erie and Buffalo switched to an easterly component during this time, which may have helped the ice fracture. Silt appears to be on the increase in western Lake Erie during this time as well.

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Thunderstorms developing in the warm sector of a low pressure system (surface analyses) produced tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds (SPC storm reports) across parts of the Deep South late in the day and into the night on 19 March 2018. GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images at 30-second intervals (above) showed numerous overshooting tops associated with this cluster of supercell convection.

In the corresponding GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (below), cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures of some overshooting tops were around -70 ºC  (black enhancement).

Note that the EF-3 tornado that damaged the Jacksonville State University area in Alabama around 0135 UTC was the first EF-3 in 306 days — a new record.

UPDATE/CORRECTED: the damage survey continues, and based on an assessment of structures in the vicinity of Jacksonville State University the tornado intensity has been UPGRADED to an EF-3 with winds around 140mph.

— NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) March 20, 2018

After 306 consecutive days without an F3/EF3+ tornado in the United States, the remarkable drought has come to an end. This is the longest such streak since NOAA records began in the 1950s. pic.twitter.com/gPPqGWRTYP

— Steve Bowen (@SteveBowenWx) March 20, 2018

Additional animations are available on the Satellite Liaison Blog.

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