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AIRS infrared channel 1486 | AIRS infrared channel 2616 |
Scale
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AMSU-A microwave channel 2 | AMSU-A microwave channel 15 |
Looking as if they were tie-dyed, the images shown above of a recent
California storm have meaning in their color. With cooler areas pushing
to purple and warmer areas pushing to red, the images are a snapshot of a
storm moving up from the lower latitudes.
The Vis/NIR image reveals three distinct very large "blooms" within the
large cloud formation, which may be major convective cells. The images
show a prominent squall line pointing nearly north-south that is
approaching the coast, and a large isolated cloud formation almost due
west. Both features have high cold cloud tops, according to the AIRS
image, and both were probably a major source of intense rainfall. The
AMSU-A microwave sensor reveals the warm land surface and the moisture
below the cloud tops.