![\"GCOM-W!](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/11\/181128_181130_amsr2_totalPrecipitableWater_windSpeed_global_anim.gif\")
<\/a>GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products, from 2256 UTC on 28 November to 1692 UTC on 30 November [click to play animation]<\/p><\/div>A series of GCOM-W1<\/strong><\/a> AMSR2<\/strong><\/a> swaths during the period from\u00a02256 UTC on 28 November to 1692 UTC on 30 November 2018 (above)<\/strong><\/em> showed the global coverage of Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products from that polar-orbiting satellite.<\/p>\n GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Total Precipitable Water, Wind Speed, Surface Rain Rate and Cloud Liquid Water products [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>A closer look just south of the Atlantic provinces of Canada (above)<\/strong><\/em> showed a comparison of Total Precipitable Water<\/strong><\/a>, Wind Speed<\/strong><\/a>, Surface Rain Rate<\/strong><\/a> and Cloud Liquid Water<\/strong><\/a> products over a strong mid-latitude cyclone at 0545 UTC<\/strong><\/a> on 29 November (the 0532 UTC time stamp on the images denotes the beginning time of that particular satellite swath).<\/p>\n Surface analyses from the OPC<\/strong><\/a> (below)<\/strong><\/em> classified this low pressure system as Hurricane Force at 00 UTC and Storm Force at 06 UTC — however, AMSR2 ocean surface wind speeds were as high as 71 knots<\/strong><\/a> west of the surface low, 84.8 knots<\/strong><\/a> north of the low and 95.6 knots<\/strong><\/a> in the vicinity of the occluded front.<\/p>\n Surface analyses at 00 UTC and 06 UTC [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Shortly after the overpass of GCOM-W1, additional views of the western portion of this storm were provided by Aqua MODIS and NOAA-20 VIIRS (below)<\/strong><\/em>. (note: the NOAA-20 VIIRS images are incorrectly labeled as Suomi NPP)<\/p>\n Aqua MODIS Water Vapor (6.7 \u00b5m)<\/em> and Infrared Window (11.0 \u00b5m)<\/em> images at 0543 UTC [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div> NOAA-20 VIIRS Day\/Night Band (0.7 \u00b5m)<\/em> and Infrared Window (11.45 \u00b5m)<\/em> images at 0557 UTC [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Another overpass of GCOM-W1 about 10 hours later continued to show a broad region of strong post-frontal westerly winds to the south of the storm center (below)<\/strong><\/em>. During that period, the occluded low continued to deepen from 957 to 952 hPa (surface analyses<\/strong><\/a>).<\/p>\n GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products at 0532 and 1529 UTC [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Additional features seen in the AMSR2\u00a0Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products in other parts of the world included the following:<\/p>\n GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products south of Iceland at 0353 UTC on 29 November [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Low pressure south of Iceland (surface analyses<\/strong><\/a>), with an ocean surface wind speed of 76 knots<\/strong><\/a> (above)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products off the US West Coast at 1026 UTC on 29 November [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Low pressure off the US West Coast (surface analyses<\/strong><\/a>), with an ocean surface wind speed of\u00a0 70 knots<\/strong><\/a> (above)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products north of Hawai’i at 1202 UTC on 29 November [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Low pressure and a cold front northwest of Hawai’i (surface analysis<\/strong><\/a>), with a long fetch of tropical moisture<\/strong><\/a> and widespread ocean surface wind speeds of 60-70 knots (above)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products southwest of Australia at 1659 UTC on 29 November [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Low pressure southwest of Australia, with an ocean surface wind speed of 47 knots<\/strong><\/a> (above)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products southeast of Argentina at 1659 UTC on 29 November [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Low preesure and a cold front southeast of Argentina, with TPW as high as 2.2 inches<\/strong><\/a> and an ocean surface wind speed of 58.6 knots<\/strong><\/a> (above)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products over the Norwegian Sea at 0259 UTC on 30 November [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Low pressure over the Norwegian Sea (surface analysis<\/strong><\/a>), with an ocean surface wind speed of 75 knots<\/strong><\/a> (above)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Total Precipitable Water and Wind Speed products over the Aleutian Islands at 1247 UTC on 30 November [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>A plume of moisture<\/strong><\/a> and strong winds<\/strong><\/a> ahead of a low pressure and cold front (surface analysis<\/strong><\/a>) moving across the Aleutian Islands (above)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n Due to the frequent overlap of polar-orbiting satellite swaths at high latitudes, some locations can have data coverage from numerous consecutive overpasses. The example below shows the Barents Sea — between 70-80\u00ba N latitude — during 7 consecutive swaths from 2256 UTC on 28 November to 0847 UTC on 29 November.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>