{"id":58720,"date":"2024-04-19T23:58:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T23:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/?p=58720"},"modified":"2024-04-26T04:22:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T04:22:57","slug":"landspout-tornado-southwest-of-anchorage-alaska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/archives\/58720","title":{"rendered":"Landspout tornado southwest of Anchorage, Alaska"},"content":{"rendered":"
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1-minute GOES-18 “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m, top) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m, bottom) images, from 0300-0430 UTC on 20 April [click to play animated GIF | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>\n

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector<\/strong><\/a> GOES-18 (GOES-West)<\/em> “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images (above)<\/strong><\/em> showed a mountain wave cloud over southcentral Alaska — beneath which a landspout tornado<\/strong><\/a> developed in the Chugach Mountains just southwest of Anchorage (PANC) at 0413 UTC on 20 April 2024 (8:13 PM local time on 19 April).<\/p>\n

Taking parallax<\/strong><\/a> into account (source<\/strong><\/a>), a cursor sample of GOES-18 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m) brightness temperature, Cloud Top Temperature<\/strong><\/a> and Cloud Top Height<\/strong><\/a> derived products over the approximate location of the landspout at 0413 UTC on 20 April is shown below.<\/p>\n

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Cursor sample of GOES-18 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m) brightness temperature (white), Cloud Top Temperature (red) and Cloud Top Height (yellow) at 0413 UTC on 20 April [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>\n

With an infrared brightness temperature and Cloud Top Temperature value around -60\u00baC along with a Cloud Top Height value around 35000 ft (10.7 km), the top of this mountain wave cloud appeared to have reached the tropopause, as indicated by a plot of Anchorage rawinsonde data at 0000 UTC on 20 April (below)<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Plot of Anchorage rawinsonde data at 0000 UTC on 20 April [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n

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Landspout tornado spotted near Rusty Point on April 19th!
These events, while not rare, go mostly unnoticed due to our topographically diverse area.
Credit to Geremy Clarion who captured these pictures.

For more info on this, and other phenomena, visit https:\/\/t.co\/47Wd2ixxi5<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/SuZtuW9Vrg<\/a><\/p>— NWS Anchorage (@NWSAnchorage) April 25, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>