{"id":39941,"date":"2021-02-15T23:59:54","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T23:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/?p=39941"},"modified":"2021-02-19T17:33:20","modified_gmt":"2021-02-19T17:33:20","slug":"arctic-outbreak-with-snow-cover-extending-to-south-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/archives\/39941","title":{"rendered":"Arctic outbreak with snow cover extending to South Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div style=\"width: 651px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a class=\"thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_goes16_dayCloudPhaseDistinctionRGB_OK_TX_snow_cover_anim.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/tx_snow_lg-20210215_180104.png\" alt=\"GOES-16 Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]\" width=\"641\" height=\"299\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">GOES-16 Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB images [click to play animation | <a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_goes16_dayCloudPhaseDistinctionRGB_OK_TX_snow_cover_anim.mp4\"><strong>MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>In the wake of a southward surge of arctic air across the central US &#8212; which produced surface temperatures as cold as <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov\/archives\/web_pages\/discussions\/archive_nathilo.php?adate=02\/13\/2021&#038;sdate=20210213\">-50\u00baF in Minnesota on 13 February<\/a><\/strong> &#8212; GOES-16 <em>(GOES-East)<\/em> <a href=\"http:\/\/rammb.cira.colostate.edu\/training\/visit\/quick_guides\/QuickGuide_DayCloudPhaseDistinction_final_v2.pdf\"><strong>Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB<\/strong><\/a> images <em><strong>(above)<\/strong><\/em> showed the large areal extent of snow cover <em>(brighter shades of green)<\/em> across Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov\/dailywxmap\/index_20210215.html\"><strong>15 February 2021<\/strong><\/a>. In the RGB images, low-level supercooled water droplet clouds appear as pale shades of white.<center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">As the Arctic chill continues to grapple the Plains, numerous new record lows were established this morning. Many of these locations will experience even lower temperatures by Tuesday morning, with additional record lows expected. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/w3QifTxQkU\">pic.twitter.com\/w3QifTxQkU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NWSWPC\/status\/1361323981677158403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 15, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/center><br \/>\nA closer view of GOES-16 Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB images <em><strong>(below)<\/strong><\/em> showed the far southern extent of snow cover across northern Mexico and southern Texas. Precipitation briefly transitioned from rain to snow as far south as <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_KBRO_OBS.TEXT\">Brownsville<\/a><\/strong>, but there was no accumulation at that site.<\/p>\n<p><div style=\"width: 653px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a class=\"thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_goes16_dayCloudPhaseDistinctionRGB_TX_snow_cover_anim.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/tx_snow-20210215_180104.png\" alt=\"GOES-16 Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]\" width=\"643\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">GOES-16 Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB images [click to play animation | <a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_goes16_dayCloudPhaseDistinctionRGB_TX_snow_cover_anim.mp4\"><strong>MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>GOES-16 Near-Infrared \u201cSnow\/Ice\u201d (<a href=\"http:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/goes\/OCLOFactSheetPDFs\/ABIQuickGuide_Band05.pdf\"><strong>1.61 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images<em><strong> (below)<\/strong><\/em> revealed a number of lake effect cloud plumes across northern and eastern Texas, as cold air moved across the warmer waters of small lakes.<\/p>\n<p><div style=\"width: 653px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a class=\"thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_goes16_nearInfraredSnowIce_TX_anim.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/tx_nir-20210215_220104.png\" alt=\"GOES-16 Near-Infrared \u201cSnow\/Ice\u201d (1.61 \u00b5m) images, with and without plots of surface reports [click to play animation | MP4]\" width=\"643\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">GOES-16 Near-Infrared \u201cSnow\/Ice\u201d <em>(1.61 \u00b5m)<\/em> images, with and without plots of surface reports [click to play animation | <a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_goes16_nearInfraredSnowIce_TX_anim.mp4\"><strong>MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Farther north over the Texas Panhandle, GOES-16 \u201cSnow\/Ice\u201d images <em><strong>(below)<\/strong><\/em> showed a small cloud plume originating at the Xcel Energy Harrington Station power plant just north-northwest of Amarillo (KAMA). Note the drop in surface visibility to 5 miles at 17 UTC &#8212; this was likely due to snow flurries as the cloud plume drifted over the airport.<\/p>\n<p><div style=\"width: 652px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a class=\"thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_goes16_nearInfraredSnowIce_KAMA_plume_anim.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/kama_plume-20210215_170104.png\" alt=\"GOES-16 Near-Infrared \u201cSnow\/Ice\u201d (1.61 \u00b5m) images [click to play animation | MP4]\" width=\"642\" height=\"299\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">GOES-16 Near-Infrared \u201cSnow\/Ice\u201d <em>(1.61 \u00b5m)<\/em> images [click to play animation | <a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_goes16_nearInfraredSnowIce_KAMA_plume_anim.mp4\"><strong>MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>A timely <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_landsat8_overpass_times.gif\">overpass<\/a><\/strong> of Landsat-8 provided a 30-meter resolution False Color RGB image at 1721 UTC, as viewed using <a href=\"http:\/\/realearth.ssec.wisc.edu\"><strong>RealEarth<\/strong><\/a> <em><strong>(below)<\/strong><\/em> &#8212; as the cloud plume drifted over the KAMA airport, the 17 UTC METAR surface report indicated that the cloud base was at 1000 feet.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 651px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_1721utc_landsat8_falseColorRGB_KAMA_plume_anim.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210215_1721utc_landsat8_falseColorRGB_KAMA_plume_anim.gif\" alt=\"Landsat-8 False Color RGB image [click to enlarge]\" width=\"641\" height=\"335\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Landsat-8 False Color RGB image [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>===== 16 February Update =====<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><div style=\"width: 653px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a class=\"thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210216_goes16_cimssNaturalColorRGB_ascat_Tehuano_anim.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/tehuano-20210216_151007.png\" alt=\"GOES-16 CIMSS Natural Color RGB images, with plots of Metop-A ASCAT winds and surface\/ship reports [click to play animation | MP4]\" width=\"643\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">GOES-16 CIMSS Natural Color RGB images, with plots of Metop-A ASCAT winds and surface\/ship reports [click to play animation | <a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210216_goes16_cimssNaturalColorRGB_ascat_Tehuano_anim.mp4\"><strong>MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>On the following day, GOES-16 CIMSS Natural Color RGB images with plots of <a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210216_1512utc_metopA_ascat.png\"><strong>Metop-A ASCAT winds<\/strong><\/a> <em><strong>(above)<\/strong> <\/em>showed how Tehuano gap winds had moved through Chivela Pass in southern Mexico (<a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/tehuano_topo-20210216_151007.png\"><strong>topography<\/strong><\/a>) and were spreading out across the Gulf of Tehuantepec (south of Ixtepec, station identifier MMIT). The highest surface scatterometer wind speeds were 24 knots near the coast.<\/p>\n<p>With a low sun angle maximizing forward scattering, a plume of blowing dust could be seen right after sunrise in GOES-17 <em>(GOES-West)<\/em> True Color RGB images created using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/software\/geo2grid\/\"><strong>Geo2Grid<\/strong><\/a> <em><strong>(below),<\/strong> <\/em>moving southward across the Gulf of Tehuantepec.<\/p>\n<p><div style=\"width: 654px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a class=\"thumbnail\" href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210216_goes17_trueColorRGB_Tehuano_anim.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/GOES-17_ABI_RadF_true_color_2021047_140032Z.png\" alt=\"GOES-17 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]\" width=\"644\" height=\"644\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">GOES-17 True Color RGB images [click to play animation | <a href=\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2021\/02\/210216_goes17_trueColorRGB_Tehuano_anim.mp4\"><strong>MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">? Starting a thread with records, stats, and other superlatives from the mid-February winter weather blitz. This may not be everything \u2014 there\u2019s too much going on! \u2014 but these are the things that I\u2019ve noticed. ?????<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Alex Lamers (@AlexJLamers) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlexJLamers\/status\/1361854130608877568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 17, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the wake of a southward surge of arctic air across the central US &#8212; which produced surface temperatures as cold as -50\u00baF in Minnesota on 13 February &#8212; GOES-16 (GOES-East) Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB images (above) showed the large areal extent of snow cover (brighter shades of green) across Oklahoma, New Mexico and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":39974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74,80,55,58,53,45,25,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-goes-16","category-goes-17","category-landsat","category-metop","category-real-earth","category-redgreenblue-rgb-images","category-satellite-winds","category-winter-weather"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39941"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40004,"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39941\/revisions\/40004"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}