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Eruption of Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawai`i

By Scott Bachmeier •

5-minute PACUS Sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images (above) showed the thermal anomaly (heat signature) following the onset of an eruption of Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawai`i — which began around 1030 UTC on 03 June 2024. The peak 3.9 µm brightness temperature sensed at the eruption site was... Read More

GOES-18 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images, from 1021-2001 UTC on 03 June [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

5-minute PACUS Sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images (above) showed the thermal anomaly (heat signature) following the onset of an eruption of Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawai`i — which began around 1030 UTC on 03 June 2024. The peak 3.9 µm brightness temperature sensed at the eruption site was 134.2ºC at 1221 UTC, which was just a few degrees below the 137.88ºC saturation temperature of GOES-18 ABI Band 7 detectors.

GOES-18 Nighttime Microphysics RGB + daytime True Color RGB images from the CSPP GeoSphere site (below) displayed a narrow volcanic plume as it moved southwest; prior to sunrise, the Kilauea eruption thermal anomaly appeared as purple to blue pixels in the Nighttime Microphysics RGB images. Such volcanic plumes from similar Kilauea eruptions often contain varying amounts of SO2.

GOES-18 Nighttime Microphysics RGB + daytime True Color RGB images [click to play MP4 animation]

GOES-18 SO2 RGB images (below) did display a SO2 signature (lighter shades of cyan), which more obvious immediately downwind of Kilauea but could also be seen streaming off the southwest coast of the Big Island.

GOES-18 SO2 RGB images, from 1601-2001 UTC on 03 June [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

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Corral Fire in California

By Scott Bachmeier •

5-minute CONUS sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) Day Fire RGB, Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm), Fire Temperature RGB and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images with overlays of the Fire Power and Fire Mask derived product (2 components of the GOES Fire Detection and Characterization Algorithm FDCA) (above) displayed signatures of the Corral Fire, which started around 2126 UTC on 01 June 2024 in... Read More

GOES-18 Day Fire RGB (top left), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm, top right), Fire Temperature RGB (bottom left) and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images with overlays of the Fire Power and Fire Mask derived products (bottom right), from 2101 UTC on 01 June to 0201 UTC on 02 June [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

5-minute CONUS sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) Day Fire RGB, Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm), Fire Temperature RGB and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images with overlays of the Fire Power and Fire Mask derived product (2 components of the GOES Fire Detection and Characterization Algorithm FDCA) (above) displayed signatures of the Corral Fire, which started around 2126 UTC on 01 June 2024 in far southern San Joaquin County (just south of Tracy, California).

A longer animation of GOES-18 Shortwave Infrared images (below) showed that the wind-driven grass fire quickly approached I-580 south of Tracy — forcing a portion of that Interstate highway (from the Alameda County line to the Stanislaus County line) to be closed for several hours on 02 June. Mandatory evacuations were also issued for parts of Tracy.

GOES-18 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images, from 2101 UTC on 01 June to 1901 UTC on 02 June [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

On the following morning, GOES-18 True Color RGB images from the CSPP GeoSphere site (below) revealed the dark burn scar of the Corral Fire — along with early-morning smoke plumes emanating from residual fire activity. Visibility restrictions due to smoke was one of the factors leading to the closure of I-580.

GOES-18 True Color RGB images, from 1331-2201 UTC on 02 June [click to playMP4animation]

A Landsat-9 Natural Color RGB image at 1839 UTC on 02 June (below) provided a high-resolution view of the dark burn scar — which revealed that the Corral Fire crossed I-580 in two places.

Landsat-9 Natural Color RGB image at 1839 UTC on 02 June [click to enlarge]

A toggle between before (17 May) and after (02 June) Landsat-9 Natural Color RGB images is shown below.

Before (17 May) and after (02 June) Landsat-9 Natural Color RGB images [click to enlarge]

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1-minute imagery to monitor deep convection for flooding potential across American Samoa

By Scott Bachmeier •

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (above) displayed areas of convection that moved across American Samoa on 01 June 2024 (1-minute imagery was requested by NWS Pago Pago to monitor the approach of thunderstorms, since they had issued a Flood Watch for the islands — and they lack radar coverage). Although there was a... Read More

1-minute GOES-18 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images, from 0127 UTC on 01 June to 0059 UTC on 02 June; NSTU denotes the location of Pago Pago, American Samoa [click to play MP4 animation]

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (above) displayed areas of convection that moved across American Samoa on 01 June 2024 (1-minute imagery was requested by NWS Pago Pago to monitor the approach of thunderstorms, since they had issued a Flood Watch for the islands — and they lack radar coverage). Although there was a break in the convective activity midway through the period, Pago Pago did receive heavy rainfall from thunderstorms that began to arrive just as the 1-minute imagery was ending (decoded surface observations | METARs); those thunderstorms produced 0.62 inch of rainfall in 3 hours and 0.94 inch of rainfall in 6 hours (plot of surface report data).

A GOES-18 Infrared image showing a cold (-77.71ºC) thunderstorm overshooting top (not far to the west of American Samoa) at 0039 UTC on 02 June (below) included a cursor sample of the associated GOES-18 Cloud Top Height (50750 ft) and Rain Rate (1.90 in/hr) derived products at that location.

GOES-18 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) image showing a cold thunderstorm overshooting top west of American Samoa at 0039 UTC on 02 June, which includes a cursor sample of the associated GOES-18 Cloud Top Height (blue) and Rain Rate (red) derived products [click to enlarge]

During a break in widespread cloud coverage across the region, the 10-minute GOES-18 Total Precipitable Water (TPW) derived product (in cloud-free regions) (below) showed a NW-to-SE oriented corridor of TPW values in the 2.0 to 2.2 inch range (lighter shades of violet) across the Samoan Islands.

1-minute GOES-18 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images combined with the 10-minute Total Precipitable Water derived product (in cloud-free regions), from 1859 UTC on 01 June to 0000 UTC on 02 June; NSTU denotes the location of Pago Pago, American Samoa [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

However, the GOES-18 derived Total Precipitable Water values were less than the 2.62 inches obtained using rawinsonde data from Pago Pago, American Samoa at 0000 UTC on 02 June (below).

Plot of rawinsonde data from Pago Pago, American Samoa at 0000 UTC on 02 June [click to enlarge]

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Wildfire in British Columbia produces 2 pyrocumulonimbus clouds

By Scott Bachmeier •

10-minute Full Disk sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) Day Land Cloud Fire RGB, Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm), “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images with an overlay of the Fire Mask derived product (a component of the GOES Fire Detection and Characterization Algorithm FDCA) (above) displayed signatures of a wildfire in far northeastern British Columbia, which produced... Read More

GOES-18 Day Land Cloud Fire RGB (top left), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm, top right), “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm, bottom left) and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images with an overlay of the Fire Mask derived product (bottom right), from 1900 UTC on 29 May to 0200 UTC on 30 May [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

10-minute Full Disk sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) Day Land Cloud Fire RGB, Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm), “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images with an overlay of the Fire Mask derived product (a component of the GOES Fire Detection and Characterization Algorithm FDCA) (above) displayed signatures of a wildfire in far northeastern British Columbia, which produced 2 pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) clouds — exhibiting cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures in the -40s to -50s C, denoted by shades of blue to red in the 10.3 µm images — late in the day on 29 May 2024 (Canada’s first pyroCb clouds of their 2024 wildfire season were observed on 13 May).

A similar animation that includes GOES-18 Visible images with an overlay of the Fire Power derived product — another component of the FDCA — is shown below.

GOES-18 Day Land Cloud Fire RGB (top left), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm, top right), “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm, bottom left) and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images with an overlay of the Fire Power derived product (bottom right), from 1900 UTC on 29 May to 0200 UTC on 30 May [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

GOES-18 True Color RGB images from the CSPP GeoSphere site (below) displayed several plumes of low-altitude wildfire smoke, followed by the explosive development of the 2 high-altitude pyroCb clouds (which then drifted to the northwest).

GOES-18 True Color RGB images, from 1800 UTC on 29 May to 0200 UTC on 30 May [click to play MP4 animation]

The coldest 10.3 µm infrared brightness temperature sensed for each of the 2 pyroCb clouds was -52ºC. According to rawinsonde data from nearby Fort Nelson, BC (CYYE), this represented a pressure level of 307 hPa or an altitude around 8.9 km (below).

Plot of rawinsonde data from Fort Nelson, BC at 0000 UTC on 30 May [click to enlarge]

This wildfire burned very hot, exhibiting a peak 3.9 µm shortwave infrared brightness temperature of 137.88ºC (which is the saturation temperature of GOES-18 ABI Band 7 detectors) — at 2250 UTC (below).

Cursor sampling of the GOES-18 Day Land Cloud Fire RGB (top left), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm, top right), “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm, bottom left) and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) image with an overlay of the Fire Power derived product (bottom right) at 2250 UTC on 29 May [click to enlarge]

The GOES-18 Fire Power value reached 6057.70 MW at 2310 UTC (below) — values over 6000 MW are only seen with very hot fires.

Cursor sampling of the GOES-18 Day Land Cloud Fire RGB (top left), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm, top right), “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm, bottom left) and “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) image with an overlay of the Fire Power derived product (bottom right) at 2310 UTC on 29 May [click to enlarge]

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