Happening Now: NOAA Operations in Real Time

  • +SPC Convective Outlook product

    Storm Prediction Center(SPC) Convective Outlook
    The SPC constantly monitors weather across the United States, providing updates to extreme weather phenomena and predicting upcoming events. This SPC Convective Outlook product shows the probability of severe convective weather over the continental United States over the next three days, and uses a variety of satellite, model and other data to understand the emerging severe weather conditions.
    Daily National Weather Service Convective outlooks

  • + The GOES Sounder instrument

    Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE)
    The GOES Sounder instrument is used to understand conditions through many layers of the atmosphere. One such product is the Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) analysis, which identifies areas of instability and potential severe storm outbreak. This image of the GOES CAPE product from April 9, 2013 shows an area of high potential convective storm outbreaks near northern TX and southern OK, and is used by SPC and others in identifying and monitoring severe weather threats
    CIMSS GOES Real-time Derived Product, CAPE.

  • +tornado outbreak in Oklahoma simulates the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) l

    Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM)
    Research across NOAA and with its partners is revealing that a rapid increase in cloud-to-cloud lightning is a major indicator of a potential tornado. This knowledge is the driver for placing a lightning mapping instrument on the next generation GOES-R series satellites. This animation from a tornado outbreak in Oklahoma simulates the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) lightning detection capabilities, identifying the most convective cells and the in-cloud lightning that dominates a tornadic supercell. Research and testing has demonstrated the GLM potential for improvement in tornado warning lead time and false alarm rate reduction.
    The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) information

  • +GOES-13 satellite shows the overshooting cloud tops

    overshooting cloud tops
    Products like those from SPC, GOES CAPE or lightning mapping (adjacent images)can help identify conditions prime for tornadoes, but one of the bread and butter products is simply looking at the rapid evolution of high cloud tops associated with severe weather. This image from the GOES-13 satellite shows the overshooting cloud tops associated with a potential storm outbreak on April 9, 2013. The ability to put GOES into rapid scan mode (5 minute imagery) helps better identify rapidly evolving conditions, and GOES-R will further enhance this ability with 1 minute imagery.
    GOES and other images

Satellite and Weather Storm Prediction

NOAA satellites and products aid in the watch of storms and assist NOAA’s National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center’s (SPC) work. Not only do satellites provide the data that drive weather models, but they also provide rapidly updated information to SPC and other forecasters that update much faster than most weather models.