Ceaseless Wind

Example of a Color-Enhanced IR Sateliite Image

Recently, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) successfully launched a new satellite, GOES-14, into orbit. Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites are very important to forecasters.  Because they are geostationary (orbiting over the equator at the same speed at which the earth turns), they allow a stable platform for detailed and frequent analysis of cloud cover and other atmospheric phenomenon which emit radiation.

Weather satellites do more than just tell you whether it’s cloudy or not.  They are able to reveal cloud type, show areas of fog, tag supercooled water droplets in clouds, estimate the height (intensity) of thunderstorms and measure the temperature/humidity in cloud-free areas to name just a few things.

The three large types of images produced by weather satellites are visible (reflected light off off clouds), Infrared or IR (emitted radiation from clouds) and water vapor (emitted radition tuned to estimate humidty through  a deep layer of the atmosphere).

In severe weather, thunderstorm intensity and development can be traced.  But it’s hurricane forecasters who benefit the most from weather satellites through the tracking of tropical storms and hurricanes even if they are thousands of miles from shore.

You can read the NOAA press release here.