It's that time of year again! The Satellite Proving Ground Experiment in NOAA's Hazardous Weather Testbed (also known as the 'Satellite HWT' for short) returns for its...hold on let me count...17th year! This year's testbed features an exciting combination experimental satellite products that push the bounds of GOES-R capabilities for severe weather warning and decision support applications, along with looking ahead to the future of GeoXO.
Volunteer NWS forecasters will use five experimental satellite products to issue severe weather warnings and provide decision support in a simulated format that leverages live, realtime weather. The testbed will operate for 12 days spread across the following weeks...
- April 27 – May 1
- May 11 – May 15
- June 1 – June 5
LightningCast v2
Version 2 of ProbSevere LightningCast uses satellite imagery and radar data to provide the probability of lightning within the next hour. The first version of LightningCast only uses satellite data, and the new information for the machine learning model is expected to improve lightning forecasts. LightningCast probabilities are also available for static and on-demand locations to NWS forecasters, providing key information when providing decision support.
Lightning Stoplight v2
Forecasters get not one but two lightning-related products this year, with NASA SPoRT's Lightning Stoplight product. Geostationary Lighting Mapper (GLM) and Earth Networks Total Lightning Network (ENTLN) flashes from the past 30 minutes are color coded by the time since their last flash, with 0-10 minutes (Red), 10-20 minutes (Yellow), and 20-30 minutes (Green) as their bins. Forecasters will demonstrate the ability of the Lightning Stoplight tool to monitor lightning hazards and inform partners who need to make the 'all clear' decision.
OCTANE CONUS
The Optical flow Code for Tracking, AMVs, and Nowcasting Experiments (OCTANE) is not just a cool acronym, it uses satellite imagery to provide high-resolution cloud-top winds. Features such as divergence and cloud-top cooling can help forecasters anticipate thunderstorm formation and intensity trends. Forecasters in previous HWT experiments used OCTANE winds from ABI Mesoscale scene data, and this year OCTANE's suite of products will be evaluated on the ABI CONUS scene.
One more thing...how would you like an ABI Mesoscale scene anywhere across the CONUS? OCTANE's MesoAnywhere product provides synthetic 1-minute imagery from ABI CONUS scene data, tracking cloud motions and propagating them forward in time.
Synthetic GXI Imagery
Following the GOES-R series of satellites is GeoXO, expected to launch in 2032, will usher in a new era of satellite imagery including two new bands targeting atmospheric moisture. Synthetic GXI imagery has been derived from the HRRR model, giving forecasters a 'first look' at this imagery and the ability to explore its applications. More water vapor observations from satellite can help to monitor boundaries like dry lines, fronts, and sea breezes.
SZA Imagery
Satellite imagery that relies on reflectance from the sun (Channels 1-6) can be modified for its sun angle (aka the solar zenith angle) so images are dynamically brighter, especially before sunset, after sunrise, and at higher latitudes. This year ABI CONUS channels 2 and 5 are adjusted by their local solar zenith angle, and forecasters will evaluate how useful this type of imagery can be compared to traditional satellite imagery.
Continue to follow along as our forecasters write blog posts, and I hope to provide daily updates of all the places we visit as we 'roam' the country. Happy forecasting!
-Kevin, SPC/HWT Satellite Liaison