VISIT: Meteorological Interpretation Blog

The GOES-16 data posted on this page are preliminary, non-operational data and are undergoing testing.  Users bear all responsibility for inspecting the data prior to use and for the manner in which the data are utilized. On the afternoon of 23 March 2017, an upper level trough in the western US moving eastward was responsible Continue Reading

The GOES-16 data posted on this page are preliminary, non-operational data and are undergoing testing.  Users bear all responsibility for inspecting the data prior to use and for the manner in which the data are utilized. On the morning of 24 March 2017, there were some interesting fog / low stratus events in the West. Continue Reading

By Jorel Torres, Dan Bikos and Lewis Grasso A majority of National Weather Service (NWS) training is focused on satellite products for the CONtinental United States (CONUS). However, how can satellite products help NWS forecasters with satellite interpretation in Off CONUS locations such as Alaska? One goal is to use synthetic satellite imagery from the Continue Reading

By: Jorel Torres and Jack Dostalek Introduction With all of the attention given to the pending winter storm along the East Coast, this blog may seem a bit out of place.  Nevertheless, high-profile blizzards aren’t the only dangerous cold-season weather phenomena of interest to forecasters. During the winter months, especially at high latitudes, air temperatures Continue Reading

By Ken Pryor (NESDIS), Dan Bikos (CIRA) and Scott Lindstrom (CIMSS) During the early afternoon of 10 June 2013, a cluster of convective storms developed over the front range of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and then tracked eastward over the western High Plains, south and east of Denver.  These storms were shallow, with bases Continue Reading

Transverse bands were observed between approximately 1400-1700 UTC in the vicinity of Buffalo, NY in the GOES water vapor imagery (from the CIMSS satellite blog): http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/130208_g13_wv_east_coast_storm_anim.gif and also in the GOES IR imagery: http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/templates/loop_directory.asp?data_folder=training/visit/loops/8feb13_BUF_ir&image_width=1020&image_height=900 Note the orientation of the transverse bands is approximately perpendicular to the winds at upper levels (350 mb wind direction and Continue Reading

During the VISIT Satellite Chat on the morning of December 12, forecasters at the WFO in Columbia, SC alerted us to a fog event that took place in their CWA during the early morning hours of December 3, 2012.  During the discussion we showed different types of imagery and products that might be useful to Continue Reading

Dan Bikos This blog entry will examine the synthetic low cloud / fog product produced by the 4-km NSSL WRF-ARW model.  For detailed information on this product, see: https://rammb2.cira.colostate.edu/trainings/visit/training_sessions/synthetic_imagery_in_forecasting_low_clouds_and_fog/ Let’s examine this product on the Washington and Oregon coastline from October 10, 2012: http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/templates/loop_directory.asp?data_folder=training/visit/loops/10oct12_west_syn_fog&image_width=1020&image_height=900 Recall that low cloud or fog is depicted as blue in Continue Reading

Ken Pryor (NESDIS / STAR) A GOES sounder-derived Microburst Windspeed Potential (MWP) algorithm, based on convective available potential energy (CAPE), and vertical temperature and humidity lapse rates, and based on the vertical difference in equivalent potential temperature (theta-e difference, TED) between the surface and middle-troposphere (between 10,000 and 20,000 feet above ground level) recently observed Continue Reading

On 6 June 2012, GOES-15 SRSO was called, meaning intermittent 1-minute scans would be collected over a mesoscale sector centered in eastern Colorado.  The Storm Prediction Center had a slight risk of severe storms over the region, and by late afternoon convective initiation occurred along the Denver Convergence Zone north and east of Denver.  The Continue Reading