Fires in coastal northeastern South Carolina, (news links here and here, for example) near Myrtle Beach, have destroyed 70+ houses and forced residents to evacuate. A true-color MODIS image that shows the distinct smoke plume is available here.

The fires were visible from satellite in both the visible channels, as shown above, and in the near-infrared channels. MODIS imagery in the 3.7-micron channel shows hot spots where the peat and brush fires are active. The character of the radiation emitted by the fire is a function of the temperature, as described by Wien’s Law, with higher emitting temperatures leading to shorter wavelength emissions (as described graphically by this applet. Note in the applet how the wavelength of the peak emitted radiation decreases as the temperature increases; a fire burning with a temperature of 700-800 F will have peak emissions near 3.9 microns).

The near-infrared channel (3.9 microns) on the GOES imager is more sensitive to fire detection than the far-infrared channel (10.7 microns) in part because of the great increase in near-infrared emission that occurs as fires develop and mature. In the loop of GOES Imager information above (Visible, 10.7 micron and 3.9 micron, respectively), note the very dark (warm) pixels in the 3.9 micron image in the region of the fire. The warmest pixels have brightness temperatures of 318.5 K at 3.9 micron vs. 300 K at 10.7 microns. In comparison, both sensors have brightness temperatures of 290 K in the waters off the coast. The difference at hot temperatures arises from the enhanced 3.9 micron emissions due to the fires.

Fires are routinely monitored at CIMSS using GOES Imager data, principally visible data and the 3.9 and 10.7 micron channels. See this link for more information. The processed data for 1545 UTC on 23 April do indicated fires (red pixels) near Myrtle Beach (the color key is available here).

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GOES-12 visible images

GOES-12 visible images (above) showed that much of Iowa and northern Illinois were cloud-free during the morning and early afternoon hours on 24 April 2009. There appeared to be some subtle differences in the soil types over parts of those regions, with some areas exhibiting a slightly darker appearance on the visible imagery.

However, GOES-12 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (below) indicated the presence of a broad swath of notably cooler ground, oriented SW-NE across northern Illinois — this was due to moist soils from significant rainfall during the overnight hours (radar-estimated Storm Total Precipitation). Surface air temperatures appeared to be responding a bit more slowly to the daytime solar heating over the swath of cooler wet ground that was seen on the IR imagery.

GOES-12 3.9 µm shortwave IR images

AWIPS images  of the MODIS visible channel, 3.7 µm shortwave IR channel, and Land Surface temperature (LST) product (below) also showed a higher-resolution view of the swath of cooler ground  — the LST values over the swath of wet ground were generally in the upper 70s F (orange colors), compared to the upper 80s F (red colors) over the adjacent dry ground areas. Also note the very high LST values of 100-110º F (darker red colors) over parts of western Iowa — these high LST values corresponded to freshly plowed fields where newly-planted crops had not yet begun to come up.

MODIS visible, 3.7 µm shortwave IR, Land Surface Temperature images

Over Iowa, note how the MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values were lower (0.2 to 0.3) in areas where the Land Surface Temperature (LST) values was the highest (below). The MODIS NDVI values were similar over much of northern Illinois, but due to the wet condition of the soil the LST values were much lower in that region.

MODIS LST product + NDVI product

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4-km resolution GOES-13 6.5 µm water vapor images

15 April 2009 was the last full day of GOES-13 imagery — the satellite was placed back into on-orbit storage on the morning of 16 April. GOES-13 had been brought out of storage during the Summer of 2008, to act as “GOES Central” (at 105º West longitude) and provide imagery through the Fall eclipse period. Larger on-board batteries allow GOES-13 to make imagery available during eclipse periods (when the satellite is in the Earth’s shadow, and the solar panels cannot provide the power necessary to operate the instruments) –  but other improvements to GOES-13 include better image-to-image navigation, and the 4-km resolution water vapor channel that debuted on GOES-12.

The 4-km resolution GOES-13 6.5 µm water vapor imagery (above) displayed widespread mountain wave signatures across much of the western US on 15 April — and many of the smaller-scale areas of mountain waves were unable to be resolved using the 8-km resolution GOES-11 6.7 µm water vapor imagery (below).

8-km resolution GOES-11 6.7 µm water vapor images

Such mountain wave signatures are often a good indicator of the likelihood of turbulence — and there were indeed a large number of pilot reports (PIREPS) of turbulence (including at least 11 reports of severe turbulence) across much of the western US, as seen on AWIPS images of the GOES-11/GOES-12 water vapor channel data (below).

GOES-11 / GOES-12 water vapor channel imagery

AWIPS images of the 1-km resolution MODIS 6.7 µm water vapor channel data (below) displayed even better mountain wave details at 18:46 and 20:31 UTC.

1-km resolution MODIS 6.7 µm water vapor images

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GOES-12 visible images

Multiple clusters of intense deep convection developed over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico during the daytime hours on 13 April 2009. According to the SPC Storm Reports, there were several reports of tornadoes and golfball-size hail in Florida and Georgia as some of these storms moved inland. GOES-12 visible images (above; QuickTime animation) show a detailed look at the intricate cloud top structure of the storms that were developing over the Gulf of Mexico — and since GOES-12 was in Rapid Scan Operations,  images were available at 5-10 minute intervals.

There were a few pilot reports (or PIREPS) of high-altitude turbulence as aircraft were flying over one of the clusters of convection. In particular, one aircraft reported severe turbulence at an altitude of 40,000 feet at 19:57 UTC — soon after the appearance of  a rapidly-developing overshooting top feature on the visible imagery (just to the west of the aircraft location). A comparison of the 4-km resolution GOES-12 10.7 µm IR image and the corresponding 1-km resolution MODIS 11.0 µm IR image closest to the time of the severe turbulence report (below) displayed an area of very cold cloud top temperatures (as cold as -74º C) associated with this rapidly developing overshooting top. The finer spatial resolution of the MODIS IR data was also able to resolve a packet of concentric gravity waves that was propagating outward from the cold overshooting top feature.

In addition, note the “parallax shift” that is evident on the GOES IR image: features are shifted a bit to the west and the north due to the high viewing angle of the GOES-12 satellite (which is positioned at 75º West  longitude over the Equator). There is minimal parallax error when viewing imagery from a polar-orbiting satellite (such as Terra and Aqua, which carry the MODIS instrument), since the satellite passes directly overhead. These 2 images are very close in time:  MODIS actually passed over this region at 19:00 UTC, and the GOES-12 scan which began at 18:55 UTC was probably sampling the Gulf of Mexico region around 18:58 UTC.

GOES-12 10.7 µm IR and MODIS 11.0 µm IR images

The GOES-12 sounder Cloud Top Height product (below) indicated that the highest cloud tops around the time of the MODIS image were around 44,000 feet — this places the highest parts of the thunderstorm about 4,000 feet higher than the altitude of the PIREP of severe turbulence.

GOES-12 sounder Cloud Top Height product

The Blended Total Precipitable Water (TPW) product (below) showed that a southwest-to-northeast oriented axis of higher TPW (values as high as 46-48 mm, darker red colors) was in place across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, providing the necessary ingredient of moisture required for the formation of deep organized  convection.

Blended Total Precipitable Water product

An AWIPS image of a new experimental CIMSS product is shown below: a “Nearcasting” product that uses GOES sounder-derived  layer Precipitable Water data to highlight regions were mid-level dry air overlays low-level moisture. Such a moisture profile can lead to the release of convective instability. Note the axis of higher Vertical PW Differences (values greater than 0.5 inch, green to yellow colors) that extended across the Florida Panhandle into southern Georgia (where the SPC had issued Tornado Watch #149).

GOES-12 "Nearcasting" sounder-derived Vertical PW Difference product

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