{"id":36408,"date":"2020-04-26T17:59:59","date_gmt":"2020-04-26T17:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/?p=36408"},"modified":"2020-04-28T02:26:24","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T02:26:24","slug":"prolific-lightning-producing-mcs-in-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/archives\/36408","title":{"rendered":"Prolific lightning-producing MCS in eastern Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GOES-16<\/a>

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 \u00b5m)<\/em> images, with and without GLM Groups plotted in cyan [click to play animation | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>GOES-16 (GOES- East)<\/em> “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images, with and without plots of GLM<\/strong><\/a> Groups (above)<\/strong><\/em> showed a Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) that was propagating southward across eastern Mexico (in advance of an approaching cold front<\/strong><\/a>) from 2001 UTC on 25 April to 1501 UTC on 26 April 2020. The coldest cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures were -90\u00baC (yellow pixels embedded within dark purple regions)<\/em>. This MCS was prolific lightning-producer — which included numerous anvil streamers that extended well east and northeast of the main convective core (below)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"GOES-16<\/a>

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 \u00b5m)<\/em> images, with and without GLM Groups plotted in cyan, at 0421 UTC on 26 April [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>A toggle between NOAA-20 VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 \u00b5m) and Day\/Night Band (0.7 \u00b5m) images at 0841 UTC (below)<\/em><\/strong> also revealed isolated pixels in the overshooting top region with brightness temperatures of -90\u00baC (yellow enhancement)<\/em> — along with numerous bright lightning streaks in the Day\/Night Band image, located well east of the convective core (consistent with the GOES–16 GLM imagery<\/strong><\/a>). At that time, the core of the MCS was located just off the coast of Mexico, between Poza Rica (MMPA) and Veracruz (MMVR).<\/p>\n

\"NOAA-20<\/a>

NOAA-20 VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 \u00b5m)<\/em> and Day\/Night Band (0.7 \u00b5m)<\/em> images at 0841 UTC [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>Plots of rawinsonde data<\/strong><\/a> from Veracruz, Mexico (below)<\/strong><\/em> showed that the coldest tropopause temperatures were -78.1\u00baC at a pressure level of 103 hPa — so the coldest GOES-16 and NOAA-20 infrared brightness temperatures of -90\u00baC indicated overshooting tops extending well about the tropopause.<\/p>\n

\"Plots<\/a>

Plots of rawinsonde data from Veracruz, Mexico [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>On 25 April, GOES-16 True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images created using Geo2Grid<\/strong><\/a> (below)<\/strong><\/em> portrayed a well-defined rope cloud with an undular bore along the cold frontal boundary. Also evident was widespread dense smoke across much of the Gulf of Mexico, a result of prolonged fire activity<\/a><\/strong> in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and parts of Central America.<\/p>\n

\"GOES-16<\/a>

GOES-16 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>

<\/p>\n
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So after breaking the #lightning<\/a> archive tool a few times (because of searching a time period with too much lightning)…I’ve counted up the dots between 2000 UTC 25 April and 1500 UTC 26 April. 1.1 million! https:\/\/t.co\/yQrmbONPQ0<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/K0eedrOAdC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ch?is Vagas|?y (@COweatherman) April 26, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n