GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (click image to play animation)

A large fire resulted from a train derailment in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec at around 05:15 UTC (1:15 AM local time) on 06 July 2013. According to the TSB investigation report and a CBC news story, the 72 rail cars were carrying crude oil. AWIPS images of 4-km resolution GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (above; click image to play animation) revealed the fire “hot spot” (black to yellow to red pixels), with a maximum IR brightness temperature value of 36.5º C on the 05:30 UTC image.

The fire hot spot was no longer evident on the GOES-13 3.9 µm shortwave IR images after 06:15 UTC, perhaps because of partial obscuration by the approach of a patch of mid/high altitude clouds from the west — however, a well-defined fire hot spot (with a maximum IR brightness temperature value of 54.5º C) was still evident on a 375-meter resolution (mapped onto a 1-km AWIPS grid) Suomi NPP VIIRS 3.74 µm shortwave IR image at 06:21 UTC (below).

GOES-13 3.9 µm and Suomi NPP VIIRS 3.74 µm shortwave IR images

In addition to the fire hot spot on seen the VIIRS shortwave IR image, a very large and bright glow from the fire was apparent on the corresponding 0.7 µm VIIRS Day/Night Band image (below).

Suomi NPP VIIRS 3.74 µm shortwave IR and 0.7 µm Day/Night Band images

Hat-tip to Dan St. Jean of the National Weather Service forecast office at Gray/Portland, Maine for the heads-up on this event.

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GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

AWIPS images of GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel data (above; click image to play animation) showed the development of pockets of thunderstorms across Iowa, eastern Nebraska, and northwestern Missouri  on 02 July 2013.  Several of these storms produced hail up to 1 inch in diameter (SPC storm reports).

Note the pronounced cyclonic spin across the region of thunderstorm development — this was due to the approach of a compact shortwave trough that was rotating around the western periphery of a larger-scale upper-level trough of low pressure that was centered over the middle Mississippi River valley on that day. This shortwave trough had a nice signature on GOES-13 6.5 µm water vapor channel images (below; click image to play animation).

GOES-13 0.65 µm water channel images (click image to play animation)

GOES-13 sounder Total Column Ozone product

In addition, the GOES-13 sounder Total Column Ozone (TCO) product (above; click image to play animation) revealed that a distinct maximum in TCO values (red color enhancement) accompanied this disturbance. NAM40 model overlays of the pressure of the Potential Vorticity (PV) 1.5 surface (a general indicator of the height of the dynamic tropopause) suggested that a PV anomaly was associated with the high TCO values (below) — and this PV anomaly was likely helping to dynamically force some of the development of thunderstorms seen across the region.

GOES-13 sounder Total Column Ozone product with NAM40 PV 1.5 pressure and 500 hPa geopotential height

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GOES-15 0.63 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

The Yarnell Hill Fire was a relatively small wildfire that was started by lightning from a dry thunderstorm southwest of Prescott, Arizona on 28 June 2013. However, fire conditions became more favorable for growth on 30 June, as surface air temperatures rose above 100 F across the area with low relative humidity values. During the afternoon hours, GOES-15 0.63 µm visible channel images (above) showed that a line of thunderstorms developed over northwestern Arizona, and moved toward the southwest (the red circle highlights the general area of the Yarnell fire). It is likely that strong surface winds associated with a thunderstorm outflow boundary (nearby surface mesonet data) caused rapid growth and an abrupt change in direction of the fire, which tragically killed 19 firefighters who attempted to shelter in place (for additional details, see the Wildfire Today site).

On the GOES-15 visible imagery, a smoke plume became more obvious after 16:45 UTC, with the first formation of pyrocumulus clouds evident at 21:00 and 21:30 UTC. As the cloud shield of the thunderstorm line moved over the fire, the images revealed the development of a pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) cloud which exhibited a pronounced overshooting top at 23:45 UTC.

GOES-15 0.63 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

Taking a look at the period of pyroCb formation, the overshooting plume and pronounced overshooting top could be seen spreading southward (due to northerly winds aloft, as shown on Flagstaff AZ rawinsonde data) on the GOES-15 0.63 µm visible images (above) — and this pyroCb plume and overshooting top appeared warmer/darker on GOES-15 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (below), which indicated that the plume was comprised of smaller particles (that were more efficient reflectors of solar radiation).

GOES-15 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (click image to play animation)

On GOES-15 10.7 µm longwave IR images (below), the coldest cloud top IR brightness temperature of -65 C (darker red color enhancement) was associated with the pyroCb overshooting top at 23:45 UTC.

GOES-15 10.7 µm longwave IR images (click image to play animation)

Shown below is a comparison of the 23:45 UTC images of GOES-15 visible, shortwave IR, and longwave IR images.

Comparison of 23:45 UTC GOES-15 visible, shortwave IR, and longwave IR images

A comparison of Suomi-NPP 0.64 µm visible channel and 11.45 µm IR channel images at 21:22 UTC (below) showed the Yarnell fire “hot spot”  (dark black pixels), with some pyrocumulus clouds beginning to form to the east/northeast of the fire source (due to strong southwesterly winds in the boundary layer).

Suomi-NPP VIIRS 0.64 µm visible and 11.45 µm longwave IR images

The corresponding Suomi-NPP VIIRS true color RGB image is shown below, visualized using the SSEC Web Map Server. Again, the smoke plume from the fire can be seen, along with the development of pyrocumulus clouds to the east/northeast.

Suomi-NPP VIIRS true color RGB image

Flagstaff, Arizona WSR-88D radar base reflectivity and volume of 13.5 dBZ reflectivity isosurface (click image to play animation)

Volumetric displays of Flagstaff, Arizona WSR-88D radar base reflectivity and spectrum width are shown above and below, respectively (radar data visualized using GR2Analyst software, courtesy of Jordan Gerth, CIMSS). The viewing perspective is looking from the northwest, so Prescott is located in the left corner of the data cube, and the Yarnell fire with its growing pyrocumulus (pyroCu) and pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) cloud is located in the right corner of the data cube.

The blue-shaded isosurface of the 13.5 dBZ base reflectivity (from 22:42 to 23:48 UTC) showed the upward pulsing of the pyroCu and finally the pyroCb, which grew upward past an altitude of 40,000 feet on the final image (23:48 UTC, about the time that the prominent overshooting top was seen on the 23:45 UTC GOES-15 visible image).

The Doppler radar spectrum width is shown from 23:34 to 23:48 UTC. This parameter represents the amount of variance in the velocity field. Note the higher spectrum width values (darker orange shading) associated with the growth of the pyroCb cloud over the Yarnell fire — this was likely a result of the variety of particles (biomass burning particles, supercooled water droplets, ice crystals) moving upward at different velocities because of their differing size and shape characteristics.

Flagstaff, Arizona WSR-88D radar spectrum width (click image to play animation)

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GOES-15 0.63 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the Pavlof Volcano began to experience a vigorous eruption around 06:50 UTC on 25 June 2013. As daylight arrived a few hours later, the volcanic plume (which contained some ash) was evident on McIDAS images of 1-km resolution GOES-15 0.63 µm visible channel data (above; click image to play animation). The high-altitude portion of the volcanic plume was estimated to be around 28,000 feet above sea level — this darker-gray plume could be seen drifting northwestward above the lower-altitude clouds over the southern Bering Sea.

During the early morning, a warm thermal anomaly of 42.85º C (darker black enhancement) could be seen at the location of the volcano on a 4-km resolution GOES-15 3.9 µm shortwave IR channel image at 14:45 UTC (below).

GOES-15 3.9 µm shortwave IR channel image

Even with a very large oblique viewing alngle from the Japanese MTSAT-2 satallite, the volcanic cloud and plume rising from the Pavlof Volcano (denoted by the letter “P”) could be seen on a visible channel image at 15:01 UTC (below).

MTSAT-2 visible image

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