VISIT: Meteorological Interpretation Blog

As of early November 2023, the TOWR-S RPM v24 has been released for National Weather Service (NWS) users to update their local AWIPS terminals with the latest satellite data capabilities. Within the RPM v24 release, more NWS CONUS users will be able to access the Snowfall Rate (SFR) and the merged SFR (satellite plus radar) Continue Reading

GOES-16 imagery depicts lake-effect snowbands over the western Great Lakes on 7 November 2019: http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/templates/loop_directory.asp?data_folder=training/visit/loops/7nov19/4panel&loop_speed_ms=60 Upper left: 0.64 micron visible band Upper right: 10.3 micron IR band with default color table (IR_Color_Clouds_Winter) Lower left: 10.3 micron IR band with GOES Snow Squall color table Lower right: Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB The 0.64 micron visible band Continue Reading

When analyzing satellite imagery during lake-effect snow events, one is interested in looking at the low-level clouds associated with the snowbands.  However, sometimes high clouds obscure the low-level clouds making analysis from a satellite imagery perspective more challenging.  An example of high cloud obscuration can be seen in this GOES-16 loop from 2 January 2018: 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. Cold advection over the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes resulted in bands of showers across the Great 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. By Darren Van Cleave (NWS Salt Lake City) On the morning of April 4, lake-effect showers existed off Salt Continue Reading

A cold air mass was in place over the Great Lakes during 12 December 2013, providing for lake-effect snow across the Great Lakes.  The synthetic imagery from the 4-km NSSL WRF-ARW model initialized 0000 UTC 12 December shows the various lake-effect snowbands (low-level clouds with brightness temperatures that are not that cold relative to high Continue Reading

An Arctic airmass over the Great Lakes provided for a significant lake-effect snow event off Lake Ontario leading up to January 23, 2013 (maximum snowfall reports 3 feet near the southeast shoreline).  Near the end of this lake-effect snow event, low-level wind speeds decreased as shown in this plot of RTMA surface winds/temperatures along with Continue Reading

Figure 1: March 3rd through March 8th 2010 (NexSat Project/Naval Research Laboratory) J. Braun Whew!  Hints at spring may finally be around the corner.  Cold Arctic winter temperatures through most of the beginning of this new year have kept much of the Great Lakes in frozen repair through early March.  However, a hopefull proxy for spring is showing itself in the Continue Reading

Louie Grasso, Dan Lindsey, J. Braun GOES-R ABI will have several channels in the window region from which channel difference products can be produced. Three of the channels, 8.53, 11.02, and 12.03 µm are available from MODIS. From these three channels, three channel differences can be produced. In this example, one of the channel differences Continue Reading

Jeff Braun What is going on over the eastern Great Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario on December 13, 2005? See loop: ( http://www.cira.colostate.edu/cira/RAMM//picoday/051214/visloop.html ) and data below for additional help.   Clicking on each image below will bring it up the full sized. Answer:  These are simultaneous mesoscale vortices over the Great Lakes during the winter of Continue Reading