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Aurora Borealis as seen by VIIRS Day/Night Band imagery

By Scott Bachmeier •

The Aurora Forecast shown above was issued on the night of 08 September 2015 by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, with the accompanying text:Following the G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storms from last night, observations of the solar wind at the ACE spacecraft near L1 indicate the potential again this evening for more activity.... Read More

Aurora Forecast issued by the Space Weather Prediction Center

Aurora Forecast issued by the Space Weather Prediction Center

The Aurora Forecast shown above was issued on the night of 08 September 2015 by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, with the accompanying text:

Following the G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storms from last night, observations of the solar wind at the ACE spacecraft near L1 indicate the potential again this evening for more activity. G1 (minor) conditions have already been observed by the global network of ground-based near real-time magnetometers. A forecast warning for G2 has been issue from 09/0500 – 09/1000 UTC (1am to 6am EST). These could be some prime hours to possibly see the Aurora in the northern most regions of the lower 48 states.

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) image composite [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) image composite [click to enlarge]

A composite of Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) images viewed using the SSEC RealEarth web map server (above) showed the bright and complex signature of the aurora borealis across southern Canada and the northern United States during the subsequent nighttime hours. Two of the individual Day/Night Band image swaths as viewed using AWIPS-2 are shown below.

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) image at 0756 UTC [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) image at 0756 UTC [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) image at 0939 UTC [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) image at 0939 UTC [click to enlarge]

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Tropical Storm Jimena

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 µm) images (above; click image to play animation) showed the low-level circulation center (LLCC) of Tropical Storm Jimena becoming exposed as the tropical cyclone encountered increasing amounts of westerly deep-layer wind shear. Jimena had rapidly intensified to a Category 4 hurricane over the East Pacific Ocean in late... Read More

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 um) images [click to play animation]

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 um) images [click to play animation]

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 µm) images (above; click image to play animation) showed the low-level circulation center (LLCC) of Tropical Storm Jimena becoming exposed as the tropical cyclone encountered increasing amounts of westerly deep-layer wind shear. Jimena had rapidly intensified to a Category 4 hurricane over the East Pacific Ocean in late August and early September (path | ADT plot).

Before sunrise, Suomi NPP VIIRS imagery (below; click to enlarge) was useful to help locate the LLCC, as was noted in a discussion issued by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]

A DMSP-18 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) image at 1733 UTC (below; click to enlarge) showed a signature of significant rainfall rates (orange to red color enhancement) within the deep convection that remained well to the east of the LLCC.

DMSP-18 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) image [click to enlarge]

DMSP-18 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) image [click to enlarge]

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Supercell thunderstorm producing large hail in the Naples, Italy area

By Scott Bachmeier •

EUMETSAT Meteosat-10 Infrared (10.8 µm) images (above; click image to play animation) showed an isolated supercell thunderstorm which quickly developed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea and moved eastward across central Italy on 05 September 2015. This storm produced large in the Naples area (station identifier LIRN); hail was as large... Read More

Meteosat-10 Infrared (10.8 µm) images [click to play animation]

Meteosat-10 Infrared (10.8 µm) images [click to play animation]

EUMETSAT Meteosat-10 Infrared (10.8 µm) images (above; click image to play animation) showed an isolated supercell thunderstorm which quickly developed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea and moved eastward across central Italy on 05 September 2015. This storm produced large in the Naples area (station identifier LIRN); hail was as large as 10 cm (3.94 inches) in diameter in the city of Pozzouli, which was just south of the vertex of the well-defined “enhanced-V” storm-top signature as seen in IR images from the SSEC RealEarth web map server site (below; click images to play animation). The coldest cloud-top IR brightness temperature was -73.5º C at 0900 UTC.

Meteosat-10 Infrared (10.8 µm) images [click to play animation]

Meteosat-10 Infrared (10.8 µm) images [click to play animation]

Meteosat-10 High Resolution Visible (0.8 µm) images (below; click image to play animation) revealed the tell-tale shadows cast by overshooting tops associated with the vigorous updrafts within this large and intense thunderstorm.

Meteosat-10 Visible (0.8 µm) images [click to play animation]

Meteosat-10 Visible (0.8 µm) images [click to play animation]

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Remnant circulation of Tropical Storm Erika

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-13 (GOES-East) Visible (0.63 µm) images (above; click to play animation) revealed the low-level circulation of the remnants of Tropical Storm Erika moving off the coast of Georgia early in the day on 03 September 2015 (15 UTC surface analysis). Although there was one brief convective burst over the low-level circulation center (LLCC), it is unclear whether... Read More

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) images [click to play animation]

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) images [click to play animation]

GOES-13 (GOES-East) Visible (0.63 µm) images (above; click to play animation) revealed the low-level circulation of the remnants of Tropical Storm Erika moving off the coast of Georgia early in the day on 03 September 2015 (15 UTC surface analysis). Although there was one brief convective burst over the low-level circulation center (LLCC), it is unclear whether this was initiated by an outflow boundary from the ongoing thunderstorm activity farther offshore or was aided by enhanced boundary layer convergence in the vicinity of the LLCC.

During the preceding nighttime hours, the remnant LLCC could be seen on a Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band image at 0631 UTC or 2:31 AM local time (below), still inland over southeastern Georgia.

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]

The LLCC was also seen on the morning Terra MODIS Visible (0.64 µm) image (below); the coldest MODIS Infrared (11.0 µm) cloud-top IR brightness temperatures associated with the deep convection east of the LLCC were -82º C (violet color enhancement).

Terra MODIS Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared (11.0 µm) images [click to enlarge]

Terra MODIS Visible (0.64 µm) and Infrared (11.0 µm) images [click to enlarge]

The 10-day motion of the vorticity field associated with Tropical Storm Erika (and its remnants) can be followed using the atmospheric motion vector (AMV) 850 hPa Relative Vorticity product from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (below; click to play animation).

Atmospheric motion vector 850 hPa Relative Vorticity product [click to play animation]

Atmospheric motion vector 850 hPa Relative Vorticity product [click to play animation]

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