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Long-lived MCS tracks across South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin

By Scott Bachmeier •

A large Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) developed and intensified over western South Dakota during the nighttime hours of 10 June – 11 June 2017, evolving into a bow echo that spread a swath of hail and strong winds from central/eastern South Dakota across Minnesota and into Wisconsin and Michigan (SPC storm reports: 10 June... Read More

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images, with SPC storm reports of hail and wind damage [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images, with SPC storm reports of hail and wind damage [click to enlarge]

A large Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) developed and intensified over western South Dakota during the nighttime hours of 10 June – 11 June 2017, evolving into a bow echo that spread a swath of hail and strong winds from central/eastern South Dakota across Minnesota and into Wisconsin and Michigan (SPC storm reports: 10 June | 11 June). Image toggles between Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) at 0734 UTC or 2:34 am Central Time (above) and 0916 UTC or 4:16 am Central Time (below) showed numerous well-defined overshooting tops and cloud-top gravity waves over South Dakota. The coldest cloud-top infrared brightness temperature on the 0916 UTC image was -88º C (dark violet color enhancement). Since the Moon was in the Waning Gibbous phase (at 97% of Full), its ample illumination provided vivid examples of the “visible image at night” capability of the Day/Night Band; several bright white “lightning streaks” were also evident, a signature of cloud top illumination by intense lightning activity.

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images, with SPC storm reports of hail and wind damage [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images, with SPC storm reports of hail and wind damage [click to enlarge]

During the subsequent daytime hours of 11 June, GOES-16 Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (below) showed the eastward  progression of the MCS across Minnesota into western Wisconsin.

GOES-16 Visible (0.64 µm, top) and Infrared Window (10.3 µm, bottom), with SPC storm reports of hail and wind plotted in yellow [click to play animation]

GOES-16 Visible (0.64 µm, top) and Infrared Window (10.3 µm, bottom), with SPC storm reports of hail and wind plotted in yellow [click to play animation]

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

 

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Shear vortices over the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley

By Scott Bachmeier •

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... Read More

GOES-16 Water Vapor (6.2 µm, top; 6.9 µm, middle; 7.3 µm, bottom) images [click to play animation]

GOES-16 Water Vapor (6.2 µm, top; 6.9 µm, middle; 7.3 µm, bottom) images [click to play animation]

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.

GOES-16 Water Vapor (6.9 µm) images [click to play animation]

GOES-16 Water Vapor (6.9 µm) images [click to play animation]

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.

GOES-13 Mid-Level Wind Shear product [click to enlarge]

GOES-13 Mid-Level Wind Shear product [click to enlarge]

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High wind event in Moscow, Russia

By Scott Bachmeier •

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... Read More

Meteosat-10 Visible (0.8 µm, left) and Infrared Window (10.8 µm, right) images [click to play animation]

Meteosat-10 Visible (0.8 µm, left) and Infrared Window (10.8 µm, right) images [click to play animation]

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.

Meteosat-10 Water Vapor (6.25 µm) images [click to play animation]

Meteosat-10 Water Vapor (6.25 µm) images [click to play animation]

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.

Time series of surface observations at Sheremetyevo International Airport UUEE [click to enlarge]

Time series of surface observations at Sheremetyevo International Airport UUEE [click to enlarge]

Time series of surface observations at Vnukovo International Airport UUWW [click to enlarge]

Time series of surface observations at Vnukovo International Airport UUWW [click to enlarge]

Time series of surface observations at Domodedovo International Airport UUDD [click to enlarge]

Time series of surface observations at Domodedovo International Airport UUDD [click to enlarge]

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Eruption of Bogoslof in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands

By Scott Bachmeier •

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... Read More

Himawari-8 Visible (0.64 µm, left) and Infrared Window (10.4 µm, right) images, with hourly surface and ship reports plotted in yellow [click to play animation]

Himawari-8 Visible (0.64 µm, left) and Infrared Window (10.4 µm, right) images, with hourly surface and ship reports plotted in yellow [click to play animation]

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).

COMS-1 Visible (0.67 µm) images, with surface observations plotted in yellow [click to enlarge]

COMS-1 Visible (0.67 µm) images, with surface observations plotted in yellow [click to enlarge]

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.

Himawari-8 false-color RGB images [click to play animation]

Himawari-8 false-color RGB images [click to play animation]

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.

Himawari-8 false-color images [click to play animation]

3Himawari-8 false-color images [click to play animation]

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.

Himawari-8 Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images and Ash Cloud Height retrievals [click to play animation]

Himawari-8 Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images and Ash Cloud Height retrievals [click to play animation]

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


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