A well-defined train of wind shear vortices was revealed on GOES-16 Water Vapor images — Upper-level (6.2 µm), Mid-level (6.9 µm) and Lower-level (7.3 µm) — propagating westward over the Great Lakes on 07 June 2017 (above).

A larger-scale view using Mid-level 6.9 µm images (below) showed additional (and larger) vortices which were moving eastward over the Ohio River Valley. Pilot reports of turbulence are plotted on the water vapor images, and many of those reports appeared to be in the general vicinity of the vortices.

A 3-hour-interval Mid-Level Wind Shear product derived from GOES-13 (GOES-East) atmospheric motion vectors (AMVs) is shown below. An elongated cyclonic shear axis was present from the Northeast US to the Ohio River Valley, and the location of the water vapor vortices appeared to correspond to the wind shear gradients along the northern and southern edges of this axis.

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High winds associated with a strong cold frontal passage were responsible for 16 fatalities and 168 injuries in Moscow, Russia on 29 May 2017 (CNN | BBC). EUMETSAT Meteosat-10 High Resolution Visible (0.8 µm) and Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images (above; MP4 ) showed the cluster of thunderstorms that moved through the region. Plotted in yellow are 4-letter station identifiers of the three principal Moscow airports (UUEE, UUWW and UUDD). The cloud-top Infrared brightness temperatures of the thunderstorm cluster exhibited a distinct bowing structure on Infrared imagery around the time of the highest winds (1230 UTC).

On the corresponding Meteosat-10 Water Vapor (6.25 µm) images (below; MP4), the well-defined signature of a middle-tropospheric vorticity center could be seen.

Time series plots of surface observations from the 3 major Moscow airports (below) showed that Sheremetyevo International Airport (UUEE) recorded a wind gust of 54 knots (62 mph) at 1230 UTC — also note the sharp drop in air temperature as the cold front passed.

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The Bogoslof volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands erupted around 2216 UTC on 29 May 2017. A comparison of Himawari-8 Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (above; MP4) showed the volcanic cloud as it drifted north/northeastward.

A very oblique view of the volcanic cloud was captured by Korean COMS-1 satellite at 2315 UTC (below).

Himawaari-8 false-color images from the NOAA/CIMSS Volcanic Cloud Monitoring site (below) revealed the initial signature of a volcanic cloud — however, this signature became less distinct after about 02 UTC on 29 May.

A different type of Himawari-8 false-color imagery (below) makes use of the 8.5 µm spectral band, which can help to infer the presence of sulfur dioxide within a volcanic cloud feature. A similar 8.4 µm band is available from the ABI instrument on the GOES-R series of satellites.

A blend of Himawari-8 Infrared Window (10.4 µm) and radiometrically-retrieved Ash Cloud Height is shown below; the maximum ash cloud height was generally in the 10-12 km (33,000-39,000 feet above sea level) range (dark blue color enhancement). A volcanic ash signal was no longer apparent after 2320 UTC — this was likely due to enhanced ash particle removal via water (both liquid and ice) related processes.

A DigitalGlobe WorldView image at 2234 UTC (below) provided remarkable detail of the Bogoslof volcanic cloud shortly after the eruption began.

#Bogoslof May 28 eruption. Img data via Digital Globe NextView License Img by Dave Schneider @USGSVolcanoes/ AVO. https://t.co/sHzj0YLHTk pic.twitter.com/TJ04DGu0TN

— Alaska AVO (@alaska_avo) May 30, 2017

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GOES-16 data posted on this page are preliminary, non-operational data and are undergoing testing

The strong pressure gradient around a Low Pressure system over Alberta and Saskatchewan caused strong winds across northern Montana on 24 May 2017, and blowing dust was the result, especially in Hill and Blaine Counties. The visible animation, above, from 1707 to 1802 UTC on 24 May, shows a faint hazy signature along the border of Canada.  The emphasis is on the word ‘faint’ — it is very difficult to pick out the signature unless you know it’s there already  (Thanks to MIC Tanja Fransen at WFO Glasgow for alerting us to this event).  The ‘Blue’ Visible band animation (below) similarly shows the dust, but it is not distinct in this band either.  (*Note* — part of this, of course, is because the default enhancement for visible imagery has been used.  If the ‘low light’ enhancement is applied, the dust signature is more apparent. This visible animation from 1502-2122, courtesy Tanja Fransen, more obviously shows the dust).

Brightness Temperature Difference products are routinely available in AWIPS. The Split-Window Difference (SWD), below, shows the difference between the ‘Clean Infrared Window’ (10.33 µm) and the ‘Dirty Infrared Window’ (12.3 µm) (‘Clean’ and ‘Dirty’ referring to a little and more, respectively, water vapor absorption) has historically been used to detect dust: dust will absorb 10.33 µm radiation but it will not absorb 12.3 µm radiation, thus the SWD can highlight regions of dust.  However, that difference is also influenced by water vapor above the dust, and by the type of dust being lofted.

The Cloud Phase Difference (8.5 µm – 11.2 µm) also can highlight regions of dust, and for this case the signal of dust was a bit more distinct.

Surface data plotted over the 0.64 µm at 1712 UTC, below, show the strong winds in the region (Here is an image at 1802 UTC). Visibilities in the areas of blowing dust were reported to be near zero.

A Terra MODIS true-color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image at 1745 UTC, below, revealed that the source of some of the most dense dust plumes appeared to be uncultivated fields located north and northeast of Havre.

(Added: Stuart Lawrence, south of Rosetown in west-central Saskatchewan, tweeted out this video that showed the dust storm there. He reported winds up to 98 km/hour). Here is another image of the dust in Saskatchewan.

The GOES Aerosol/Smoke Products (GASP) showed a noticeable signal for this dust. Here is a large-scale animation from 1315-2145 UTC, with a closer view from 1015-2345 UTC here)

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