Regional and Mesoscale Meteorology Branch

Mesoscale Analysis of Convective Weather Using GOES RSO Imagery

Contributors: Dolores Kiessling (COMET), Scott Bachmeier (CIMSS), Tony Mostek (NWS OCWWS), Tom Niziol (NWS BUF), Mike Vescio (NWS FWD), Pete Wolf (NWS ICT), and the staff at WDTB in Norman.

Introduction

The material in this session is designed to increase the forecasters skill in incorporating satellite data in the short-range forecast, nowcasting, and warning decision making processes.

Training Session Options

NOAA/NWS students – to begin the training, use the web-based video, YouTube video, or audio playback options below (if present for this session). Certificates of completion for NOAA/NWS employees can be obtained by accessing the session via the Commerce Learn Center

1. Audio playback (recommended for low-bandwidth users) – This is an audio playback version in the form of a downloadable VISITview and can be taken at anytime.

   Create a directory to download the audio playback file (102 MB) from the following link: http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/training/visit/training_sessions/mesoanalysis_rso/mesoanalysis_rso_audio.exe

   After extracting the files into that directory click on either the visitplay.bat or visitauto.bat file to start the lesson. If both files are present, use visitauto.bat

References/Additional Links

• Talking points are available for this lesson and may be printed out to easily review the session in detail at any time.
• NESDIS GOES sounder single field of view (SFOV) product images
• NESDIS GOES sounder single field of view (SFOV) soundings
• Real-time GOES RSO data (RSO RAMSDIS online)
• Purdom, J.F.W., 1976: Some uses of high-resolution GOES imagery in the mesoscale forecasting of convection and its behavior. Mon. Wea. Rev., 104, 1474-1483.
• Scofield, R.A. and J.F.W. Purdom, 1986: The Use of Satellite data for Mesoscale Analyses and Forecasting Application. Chapter 7 in the book Mesoscale Meteorology and Forecasting, P.S. Ray, editor, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Boston, MA, 118-150.
• Davies, J.M., C.A. Doswell III, D.W. Burgess, and J.W. Weaver, 1994: Some noteworthy aspects of the Hesston, Kansas tornado family of 13 March 1990. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 75, 1007-1017.
• Markowski. P.M., E.N. Rasmussen, and J.M. Straka, 1998: The occurrence of tornadoes in supercells interacting with boundaries during VORTEX-95. Wea. Forecasting, 11, 852-859.
• Weaver, J.F., 1979: Storm motion as related to boundary-layer convergence. Mon. Wea. Rev., 107, 612-619.
• Weaver, J.F., and S.P. Nelson, 1982: Multiscale aspects of thunderstorm gust fronts and their effects on subsequent storm development. Mon. Wea. Rev., 110, 707-718.
• Weaver, J.F., and J.F.W. Purdom, 1995: An interesting mesoscale storm-environment interaction observed just prior to changes in severe storm behavior. Wea. Forecasting, 10, 449-453.
• Browning, P., Weaver, J.F., and Connell, B., 1997: The Moberly, Missouri, Tornado of 4 July 1995. Wea. Forecasting, 12, 915-927.
• Purdom, J.F.W. 1990: Convective Scale Weather Analysis and Forecasting. Chapter VII-8 in Weather Satellites: Systems, Data, and Environmental Applications, Rao, P.K., Holmes, S.J., Anderson, R.K., Winston, J.S., Lehr, P.E, editors, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Boston, MA, 285-304.
• Krauss, T.W. and J.D. Marwitz, 1984: Precipiation Processes within an Alberta Supercell Hailstorm. J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 1025-1034.
• Lemon, L.R., 1976: The Flanking Line, a Severe Thunderstorm Intensification Source. J. Atmos. Sci., 33, 686-694.
• Markowski, P.M., E.N. Rasmussen, J.M. Straka, and D.C. Dowell, 1998: Observations of Low-Level Baroclinity Generated by Anvil Shadows. Mon. Wea. Rev., 126, 2942-2958.
• Rasmussen, E.N., S. Richardson, J.M. Straka, P.M. Markowski, and D.O. Blanchard, 2000: The Association of Significant Tornadoes with a Baroclinic Boundary on 2 June 1995. Mon. Wea. Rev., 128, 174-191.
• Weaver, J.F, J.A. Knaff, D. Bikos, G.S. Wade, J.M. Daniels, 2002: Satellite Observations of a Severe Supercell Thunderstorm 24 July 2000 made during the GOES-11 Science Test. Wea. Forecasting, 17 (1), 124-138.
• Weaver, J.F., J.F. Dostalek, B.C. Motta, and J.F.W. Purdom, 2000: Severe thunderstorms on 31 May 1996: A satellite training case. National Weather Digest, 3-19.
• Weaver, J.F, and D.T. Lindsey, 2004: Some frequently overlooked visual severe thundertorm characteristics observed on GOES imagery – a topic for future research. Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 132, pp. 1529-1533.