Recent Changes to Products
Current Products: Eastern U.S. | Florida | Puerto Rico | Central U.S. | Western U.S. |
Hawaii | Current GOES Soundings | Technical Reports | More Information About Products

Brief Explanation of Products

The Wind Index (WI) shows the highest wind gusts (knots) possible if showers or thunderstorms were to occur. WI uses the change in temperature with height (lapse rate), the height of the melting level, and the moisture (specific humidity) at the melting level and near the surface, all obtained from the GOES sounder. Wind Index validation vs radisonde data and Wind Index validation statistics are now available.

The Dry Microburst Index (DMI) and GOES Imager Microburst Product indicate the presence of conditions favorable for low precipitation microbursts that often occur in the western United States. The DMI uses the GOES sounder-derived temperature-dew point difference at 500 hPa (18,000 ft) and 700 hPa (10,000 ft), and the lapse rate between those two levels. The Microburst Windspeed Potential Index (MWPI) indicates the presence of conditions favorable for microbursts that often occur in the central and western United States. The MWPI uses the GOES sounder-derived temperature-dew point difference at 670 hPa and 850 hPa, and the lapse rate between those two levels.

The Wet Microburst Severity Index (WMSI) accounts for the physical processes of convective storm development and downburst generation. The WMSI incorporates such parameters as CAPE to represent the process of updraft formation, and Theta-e Difference (TeD) to represent downburst development.

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Current Products
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If you are interested in obtaining an operational version of the GOES Microburst Products with 24 X 7 support, please submit an official request via the NOAA User Request and Tracker System.

Eastern United States (GOES-13)

• Northeast
• NE Wind Index | 24hr NE Windex Archive | NE Windex Loop
• NE WMSI
• NE Data File (All parameters)
• Southeast
• SE Wind Index | 24hr SE Windex Archive | SE Windex Loop
• SE WMSI
• SE Data file

·  Florida Peninsula

• FL Wind Index (Closeup Visible or IR - 1km scale)
• 24hr FL Windex Archive | FL Windex Loop
• FL Data File

·  Puerto Rico-USVI

• PR-USVI Wind Index (Closeup Visible or IR - 1km scale)
• 24hr PR-USVI Windex Archive | PR-USVI Windex Loop
• PR-USVI Data File

• PR-USVI WMSI (Closeup Visible or IR - 1km scale)

Central United States (GOES-13)

• North Central
• NCntl Wind Index | 24hr NCntl Windex Archive | NCntl Windex Loop
• NCntl WMSI
• NC Data file
• South Central
• SCntl Wind Index | 24hr SCntl Windex Archive | SCntl Windex Loop
• SCntl WMSI
• SCntl Data file
• Central U. S. Microburst Windspeed Potential Index (DMI + CAPE)
• Central U.S. Microburst Windspeed Potential Index | 24hr Central-East U.S. MWPI Archive | Central-East MWPI Loop
• High Plains Microburst Windspeed Potential Index (DMI + CAPE)
• High Plains MWPI | High Plains MWPI Archive | High Plains MWPI Loop

Western United States (GOES-15)

• Southwest
• SW Wind Index | 24hr SW Windex Archive | SW Windex Loop
• SW Data file
• Northwest
• NW Wind Index | 24hr NW Windex Archive | NW Windex Loop
• NW Data file
• Western U. S. Microburst Windspeed Potential Index (DMI + CAPE)
• Western U.S. MWPI | 24hr Western MWPI Archive | Western MWPI Loop
• Western U. S. Wet Microburst Severity Index (WMSI)
• Western U.S. WMSI | Western WMSI Archive

Related Sounding Products from OPDB

• Site-specific GOES-13/11 Soundings
• Theta-e Cross Sections
• Sounder Products status
• GOES Sounder Verification Statistics

Technical Reports/Scholarly Papers

·  Microburst Nowcasting Applications of GOES. NOAA Technical Report NESDIS 140.

·  ArXiv.org

More Information on Microburst Products

Experimental Microburst Products from the GOES Sounders are available about 1 hour after the start time of the sounder scan. For example, the 12Z GOES-12 WIND INDEX image (based on the 1146Z retrievals) would be available by 1245Z. Subtract 5 hours to convert to Eastern Standard Time (EST), 8 hours for Pacific Standard Time (PST).

Sounding retrievals are computed using radiance data obtained in single pixel areas (10 km x 10 km) for each of 18 GOES sounder bands. Each band is sensitive to radiance received from a particular layer of the troposphere. Radiative transfer equations are iteratively solved, using the NCEP Aviation (AVN) model as a first guess, to determine the vertical temperature/moisture profile.

 For more information on the microburst products from the GOES sounders, see Ellrod and Nelson, 1998. Also available are more complete descriptions of the microburst products:

·  Ellrod, Nelson, Roeder, Witiw and Bottos, published in the AMS journal Weather and Forecasting, Volume 15, October, 2000.

·  Pryor, Ellrod and Bailey, published in the National Weather Association Electronic Journal of Operational Meteorology in April, 2002. 

·  Pryor, Ellrod and Bailey, published in the National Weather Association Electronic Journal of Operational Meteorology in May, 2003. 

·  Pryor and Ellrod, published in the National Weather Association Electronic Journal of Operational Meteorology in March, 2004. 

·  Pryor and Ellrod, published in the AMS journal Weather and Forecasting, Volume 19, June, 2004.

·  Pryor and Ellrod, published in the preprints of the AMS 21st Conference on Weather Analysis and Forecasting, August, 2005.

·  Pryor, published in the preprints of the AMS 14th Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography, January, 2006.

·  Pryor, published in the preprints of the AMS 23rd Conference on Severe Local Storms, November, 2006.

·  Pryor, published in the preprints of the AMS 5th GOES Users' Conference, January, 2008.

·  Pryor, published in the preprints of the AMS 17th Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography, September, 2010.

·  Pryor, published in the preprints of the AMS 18th Conference on Satellite Meteorology, Oceanography and Climatology, January, 2012.

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Last Modified 27 August 2012 1800 GMT US Dept of Commerce - NOAA - NESDIS

Problems or questions? Contact Ken Pryor. http://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/