![\"GOES-16](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/190123_goes16_waterVapor_Atlantic_marine_stratocumulus_anim.gif\")
<\/a>GOES-16 Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 \u00b5m)<\/em> images, with rawinsonde sites plotted in yellow [click to play animation | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>With a ridge of high pressure<\/strong><\/a> in place over the western Atlantic Ocean, GOES-16 (GOES-East)<\/em> Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images (above)<\/strong><\/em> indicated the presence of dry air within the middle troposphere off the Southeast US coast on 23 January 2019.<\/p>\n GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images showed that marine boundary layer stratocumulus clouds covered much of this region of the Atlantic — and due to minimal absorption by mid-tropospheric water vapor, these stratocumulus clouds were also very apparent in the corresponding GOES-16 Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.38 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images (below)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m)<\/em> and Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.38 \u00b5m)<\/em> images, with rawinsonde sites plotted in yellow [click to play animation | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Terra MODIS Visible (0.65 \u00b5m) and Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.38 \u00b5m) images at 1513 UTC (below)<\/em><\/strong> also showed a clear signature of the stratocumulus clouds at 1.38 \u00b5m.<\/p>\n Terra MODIS Visible (0.65 \u00b5m)<\/em> and Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.38 \u00b5m)<\/em> images at 1513 UTC, with rawinsonde sites plotted in yellow [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Cross sections of GFS90 model fields along Line I-I’<\/strong> — oriented from Charleston, South Carolina<\/strong><\/a> to Bermuda<\/strong><\/a> — are shown below. Note the very dry air within the middle troposphere, with Specific Humidity values of less than 0.2 g\/kg and Relative Humidity values less than 10% centered around the 500 hPa pressure level. In addition, the depth of the moist marine boundary layer was higher to the west at Charleston (2.6 km, at 746 hPa)<\/em> than to the east at Bermuda (1.9 km, at 822 hPa)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>