RGB Shows Airmass Changes and Extent of Convective Development

When you want a visual depiction of what the airmass structure looks like, the GOES Sounder RGB product can fill the bill. The image below is that product at 22Z, along with RAP13 500 mb winds to show the airmass movement. You can clearly see the airmass difference along the Red River. The bluer colors are more typical of midlatitude airmasses, while the greenish red area is associated with a subtropical airmass. There is even a wind shift line in the RAP 500 mb winds, showing the airmass boundary. The convection over west Texas shows up clearly as the white areas. These storms are feeding off the better instability and moisture provided from the south.

We think that the increasing midlevel flow provided by the advancing subtropical airmass will help to sustain the Texas convection and allow it to organize into an MCS structure over the next few hours.

051413 2200 UTC RGB Airmass and 500mb winds

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