Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.7 µm Day/Night Band image + Precipitation reports

An AWIPS image of the Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.7 µm Day/Night Band (above) showed a night-time view of large swaths of wet ground across much of Kansas at 07:58 UTC (2:58 AM local time) on 05 September 2012. Many parts of central Kansas received significant rainfall as thunderstorms moved eastward across the state; five sites reported over 1 inch of precipitation, with as much as 1.90 inches falling near Potwin. In southeastern Kansas, also note the bright southeast-to-northwest oriented “streak” — a signature of lightning illuminating the cloud top as the VIIRS instrument was scanning that area.

Many areas of Kansas had been experiencing extreme to exceptional drought (below). Since the moon was in the Waning Gibbous phase, moonlight from 75% of the disk was able to provide sufficient illumination to reveal the darker rain-soaked ground surfaces, which stood out in contrast to the surrounding dry ground across the state.

Kansas drought monitor

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Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.8 µm Day/Night Band image (with surface observations)

An AWIPS image of Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.8 µm Day/Night Band data with overlays of surface observations (above) revealed the “dendritic fingers” signature of river valley fog across parts of southwestern Wisconsin and the adjacent Mississippi River Valley region at 08:17 UTC (3:17 AM local time) on 04 September 2012. The moon was in the waning gibbous phase (with 83% of the Moon’s visible disk illuminated), providing ample illumination of the night-time river valley fog features in the middle portion of the image. Additional cloud features could also be seen in other parts of the satellite scene, as well as the brighter signatures of city light across the region.

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Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.64 µm visible channel images

AWIPS images of Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.64 µm visible channel data (above) and 11.45 µm IR channel data (below) showed a close-up view of the clouds associated with a strong storm (surface analysis) that was crossing the Aleutian Islands and entering the Bering Sea on 03 September – 04 September 2012. Banded convective elements can be seen along the western edge of the high cloud deck, which marked the leading edge of the advancing occluded frontal boundary.

At the time of the images, the winds at Shemya Air Force Base (station identifier PASY) were gusting to 57 knots (66 mph), but during the previous hour the peak winds were 61 knots (70 mph).

Suomi NPP VIIRS 11.45 µm IR channel images

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Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.8 µm Day/Night Band image + 11.45 µm IR channel image

A comparison of AWIPS images of Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.8 µm Day/Night Band data with the corresponding 11.45 µm IR channel data (above) revealed a number of bright west-to-east oriented streaks — signatures of the aurora borealis — across northern portions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba at 08:36 UTC on 03 September 2012. A strong coronal mass ejection from the sun hit the Earth’s magnetic field, creating a geomagnetic storm that produced vivid displays of aurora borealis across high latitudes of North America.

It is also interesting to point out that the pale white signature of thick airborne smoke which had been transported from fires in Idaho can be seen over Manitoba in the southeastern corner of the satellite scene.

Farther to the north, a similar comparison of VIIRS Day/Night Band and IR imagery (below) showed additional bright auroral streaks across southern Yukon and adjacent areas of Alaska and the Northwest Territories.

Suomi NPP VIIRS 0.8 µm Day/Night Band image + 11.45 µm IR channel image

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