{"id":31477,"date":"2019-01-25T23:59:20","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T23:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/?p=31477"},"modified":"2019-01-27T03:40:52","modified_gmt":"2019-01-27T03:40:52","slug":"severe-thunderstorms-in-argentina-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/archives\/31477","title":{"rendered":"Severe thunderstorms in Argentina"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GOES-16<\/a>

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m)<\/em> images [click to play MP4 animation]<\/p><\/div>On 25 January 2019 a GOES-16 (GOES-East)<\/em> Mesoscale Domain Sector<\/strong><\/a> was positioned over Argentina in support of the\u00a0RELAMPAGO-CACTI<\/strong><\/a> field experiment, providing imagery at 1-minute intervals. “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images (above)<\/strong><\/em> showed thunderstorms that developed and moved northward over the C\u00f3rdoba (SACO) area — surface observations there (plot<\/strong><\/a> | list<\/strong><\/a>) showed a sharp drop in temperatures along with wind gusts to 37 knots during the thunderstorm, which also produced hail and heavy rainfall. Two important features were revealed in the imagery: (1) an outflow boundary (from the decay of a large and long-lived Mesoscale Convective System to the southeast) which was moving slowly northward between between Rio Cuarto (SAOC) and\u00a0C\u00f3rdoba, likely helping to enhance boundary layer convergence and lift, and (2) a southward\/southwestward flow of moist, unstable air — indicated by a plume of agitated cumulus clouds — approaching C\u00f3rdoba. Toward the end of the day, the presence of an Above-Anvil Cirrus Plume<\/strong><\/a> also became evident in the Visible imagery.<\/p>\n

The corresponding GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images (below)<\/strong><\/em> showed that infrared brightness temperatures of the pulsing thunderstorm overshooting tops were frequently -90\u00baC or colder (yellow pixels embedded within darker purple)<\/em>. This indicates a significant overshoot of the tropopause, which had an air temperature of -72.1\u00baC at an altitude of 15.2 km on 12 UTC rawinsonde data<\/a><\/strong>. Also note the development of a pronounced cold\/warm thermal couplet over the core region of the storm, as an enhanced-V<\/a><\/strong> storm top signature formed.<\/p>\n

\"GOES-16<\/a>

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m)<\/em> images [click to play MP4 animation]<\/p><\/div>A side-by-side comparison of GOES-16 Visible and Infrared images is displayed below.<\/p>\n

\"GOES-16<\/a>

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m, left)<\/em> and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m, right)<\/em> images [click to play MP4 animation]<\/p><\/div>A toggle between NOAA-20 VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 \u00b5m) images at 1734 UTC as viewed using RealEarth<\/strong><\/a> (below)<\/strong> <\/em>showed the early stage of convective development south of C\u00f3rdoba, as well as the large decaying MCS to the southeast. Cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures with the developing storms were already -80\u2013C and colder (violet enhancement),<\/em> about 10\u00baC colder than what was observed using lower-resolution GOES-16 imagery<\/a><\/strong> at that same time.<\/p>\n

\"NOAA-20<\/a>

NOAA-20 VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 \u00b5m)<\/em> images at 1734 UTC [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>
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We observed some of the deepest storms I\u2019ve ever seen on ground-based radar near C\u00f3rdoba, Argentina today – comparable to some of the strongest ever observed with TRMM @NSF_GEO<\/a> @RELAMPAGO2018<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/d0Te1BEPSl<\/a><\/p>\n

— Steve Nesbitt (@70_dbz) January 25, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n