GOES-15 6.5 µm water vapor channel images (click image to play animation)

McIDAS images of GOES-15 6.5 µm water vapor channel data (above; click image to play animation) showed the intensification of a deep low pressure system that was moving northward in the western Gulf of Alaska during the 31 December 2012 – 01 January 2013 period. Strong storm-force winds and high seas associated with this storm played a role in the grounding of the Royal Dutch Shell Kulluk oil drilling rig around 9 PM local time on 31 December (or 06 UTC on 01 January), just off Sitkalidak Island close to Kodiak Island’s southeast shore. PADQ denotes the location of the Kodiak Airport on the northeastern part of Kodiak Island.

POES AVHRR 12.0 µm IR images

A sequence of three AWIPS images of POES AVHRR 12.0 µm InfraRed (IR) data (above) showed the storm as its center was just south-southwest of Kodiak Island. In addition, a comparison of the 01 January 2013 00:16 UTC 0.86 µm visible channel and the corresponding 12.0 µm IR channel images is also shown (below). Surface reports were plotted on the satellite images — the peak wind gust at buoy 46077 located just northwest of Kodiak Island in the Shelikof Strait was 51 knots or 59 mph at 00:16 UTC (3:16 PM local time on 31 December), and ship NZPO located just southeast of Kodiak Island reported a sustained wind speed of 55 knots or 63 mph at 00:00 UTC (3:00 PM local time on 31 December).

POES AVHRR 0.86 µm visible channel image + 12.0 µm IR channel image

A time series of surface report data from Kodiak Airport PADQ (below) indicated that a peak wind gust of 47 knots or 54 mph occurred at 04 UTC and 09 UTC on 01 January (or 7 PM and Midnight local time on the night of 31 December).

Surface observations at Kodiak (PADQ)

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MODIS true-color and false-color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) images

A comparison of 250-meter resolution MODIS true-color and false-color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) images from the SSEC MODIS Today site (above) revealed an interesting snow cover feature (snow appears as white on the true-color image, and cyan on the false-color image) surrounding a small body of water in northern Illinois (just north of the cursor) on 30 December 2012.

A closer view of that area using Google Earth (below) indicated that the small body of water was the cooling pond of the LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station.

MODIS true-color image (displayed using Google Earth)

An AWIPS image of the MODIS Sea Surface Temperature (SST) product (below) showed that SST values were as warm as 55.8 F in the cooling pond — so the flow of colder air (which was generally in the 20s to 30s F) from a variety of directions produced “cooling pond effect snowfall” immediately downwind of the pond.

MODIS Sea Surface Temperature product

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Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.7 µm Day/Night Band images

AWIPS images of 1-km resolution Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.7 µm Day/Night Band data (above) served as “visible images a night” to reveal the formation of a mesoscale vortex that was moving southward over the northern portion of Lake Superior (northwest of Caribou Island, station identifier CWCI) at 07:01 UTC (2:01 AM local time) and 08:42 UTC (3:42 AM local time) on 29 December 2012.

During the following afternoon, a comparison of a 1-km resolution Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.64 µm visible image at 18:26 UTC or 1:26 PM local time with the corresponding 0.5 degree radar reflectivity (below) showed the meso-vortex as it was approaching the coastline of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near Munising (station identifier KP53).

Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.64 µm visible channel image + Radar reflectivity

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

1-km resolution GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images (above; click image to play animation) and the 0.5 degree radar reflectivity from Marquette, Michigan (below; click image to play animation) showed the meso-vortex as it moved southward across Lake Superior and moved inland over the Upper Peninsula. Note how the surface winds at Munising became northeasterly at 13 knots as the meso-vortex reached the coast.

0.5 degree radar reflectivity (click image to play animation)

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Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.7 µm Day/Night Band + 11.45 µm IR channel image

Strong westerly to northwesterly winds in the wake of a departing winter storm were aiding in the formation of widespread mountain waves along and downwind of the Appalachian Mountains on 27 December 2012. A comparison of AWIPS images of 1-km resolution Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.7 µm Day/Night Band (DNB) with the corresponding 11.45 µm IR channel data at 07:39 UTC or 2:39 AM local time (above) showed how the DNB imagery could be used as a “visible channel at night” to aid in the detection and characterization of cloud features that are illuminated by moonlight. City lights could also be seen in cloud-free areas (or in areas covered by thin cloud layers) on the DNB image..

After sunrise, a 1-km resolution POES AVHRR 0.63 µm visible channel image at 14:48 UTC or 9:48 AM local time (below) showed how widespread the mountain waves had become across much of the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. At that time, surface reports showed wind gusts of 37 knots or 43 mph at Martinsburg, West Virginia (station identifier KMRB) and 39 knots or 45 mph at Jefferson, North Carolina (station identifier KGEV). The peak wind gust at Jefferson was 68 knots or 78 mph at 4:55 AM local time.

POES AVHRR 0.63 µm visible channel image with METAR surface reports

Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.64 µm visible channel image + False-color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image

Comparisons of visible channel images with their corresponding false-color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) images from Suomi NPP VIIRS (above) and Aqua MODIS (below) demonstrated how RGB imagery can be used to aid in the discrimination of cloud vs snow cover — for example, there was a large area with snow on the ground (darker shades of red on the RGB images) seen in the Shenandoah Valley and the surrounding mountains of northwestern Virginia. Gaps in the clouds also revealed patchy areas of snow cover which extended northeastward into south-central Pennsylvania.

MODIS 0.65 µm visible channel image + False-color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image

The appearance of mountain waves on satellite imagery — either on visible imagery, or on water vapor imagery — often suggests an enhanced potential for turbulence. While there were isolated pilot reports of light to moderate turbulence across the region throught the day (some of which were seen on the VIIRS and MODIS images above), there was one incident of severe turbulence encountered in Maryland at 18:49 UTC or 1:49 PM local time (below).

Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.64 µm visible channel image + Pilot report of severe turbulence

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