![\"GOES-14](\"http:\/\/pyrocb.ssec.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/GOES14_VIS_SWIR_IR_3PANEL_CA_FIRE_22AUG2016_320x1280_B124_00152_2016235_222500_222500_222500_0003PANELS.GIF\")
<\/a>GOES-14 0.63 \u00b5m Visible (top), 3.9 \u00b5m Shortwave Infrared (middle) and 10.7 \u00b5m Infrared Window (bottom) images [click to play MP4 animation]<\/p><\/div>The GOES-14 satellite was in SRSO-R mode<\/strong><\/a> on 22 August 2016<\/strong><\/a>, providing images at 1-minute intervals over the western United States. A 3-panel comparison of Visible (0.63 \u00b5m), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 \u00b5m) and Infrared Window (10.7 \u00b5m) images (above; <\/strong>also available as a large 110 Mbyte animated GIF<\/a>)<\/strong><\/em> showed that there were multiple bursts of pyrocumulus (pyroCu) clouds over the Rey Fire<\/strong><\/a> in southern California — while the bulk of the smoke was being transported westward over the offshore waters of the Pacific Ocean, smoke that was ejected to higher altitudes by the pyroCu clouds sent a plume of smoke drifting to the southeast.<\/p>\n The nearby Vandenberg rawinsonde data profile (below)<\/strong><\/em> suggests that the pyroCu clouds vertically lofted smoke to an altitude of at least 6.7 km (the 449 mb pressure leve<\/strong><\/a>l<\/strong><\/a>), where winds shifted to a northwesterly direction. However, since the pyroCu cloud-top IR brightness temperatures never even made it to -20\u00ba C (cyan color enhancement on the bottom panels),<\/em> the smoke probably wasn’t much higher than the 6.7 km altitude (sounding data<\/strong><\/a>).<\/p>\n Vandenberg Air Force Base rawinsonde report [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>A comparison of Suomi NPP VIIRS true-color<\/a><\/strong> and false-color<\/strong><\/a> Red\/Green\/Blue (RGB) images displayed using RealEarth<\/strong><\/a> (below)<\/strong><\/em> showed the dense plume of smoke drifting westward away from the active fire area (brighter shades of pink on the false-color image),<\/em> along with a pyroCu cloud over the fire and the early stage of the southeastward-moving smoke plume aloft.<\/p>\n![\"Vandenberg](\"http:\/\/pyrocb.ssec.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/160823_00Z_72393_KVBG_RAOB.GIF\")
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![\"Suomi](\"http:\/\/pyrocb.ssec.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/160822_2036utc_viirs_truecolor_falsecolor_Rey_Fire_CA_anim.gif\")
<\/a>![animated GIF<\/a>)<\/strong><\/em> showed that there were multiple bursts of pyrocumulus (pyroCu) clouds over the](\"http:\/\/pyrocb.ssec.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/160822_goes14_visible_shortwaveIR_longwaveIR_Rey_Fire_CA_anim.gif\"){kind=link}
![true-color<\/a><\/strong> and](\"http:\/\/pyrocb.ssec.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/160822_2036utc_viirs_truecolor_Rey_Fire_CA.png\"){kind=link}