![\"GOES-17](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/06\/190611_goes17_goes15_waterVapor_Arctic_anim.gif\")
<\/a>GOES-17 Mid-level Water Vapor (6.9 \u00b5m, top)<\/em> and GOES-15 Water Vapor (6.5 \u00b5m. bottom)<\/em> images [click to play animation | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>A comparison of Water Vapor images from GOES-17 (GOES-West)<\/em> and GOES-15 Water Vapor images (above)<\/strong> <\/em>showed the signature of an anomalously-deep closed low that was moving southeastward over the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska during the 11 June – 12 June 2019 period. The images are shown in the native projection of each satellite — GOES-17 is positioned over the Equator at 137.2\u00ba W longitude, while GOES-15 is located at 128\u00ba W. The improved GOES-17 spatial resolution (2 km at nadir, vs<\/em> 4 km for GOES-15)<\/em> and more frequent imaging (every 10 minutes, vs every 30 minutes for GOES-15)<\/em> allowed for a better depiction of this cutoff low — including smaller-scale features near the center of the broad circulation.<\/p>\n GFS model 500 hPa geopotential height, wind, and standardized height anomaly (source<\/strong><\/a>) analyses at 6- hour intervals (below)<\/strong><\/em> indicated 500 hPa geopotential height anomaly values reached -3 to -4 sigma (lighter shade of violet)<\/em> for this cutoff low.<\/p>\n