Notice: As of 4:26 p.m. EDT,
the GOES-16 ABI Imager (GOES-East) is offline due to a reported thermal anomaly.
No GOES-East images will be updated while the satellite is offline.
As soon as data flow is restored, we will begin processing images and update the site.
GOES-West continues to operate normally.
23 Aug 2024 - 20:26 EDT
24 Aug 2024 - 00:26 UTC
GOES-East Mesoscale view - Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics at 41°N - 88°W - Kankakee County, IL
30 frame animation displayed. This mesoscale location is no longer being actively produced.
To enlarge, pause animation & click the image. Hover over popups to zoom. Use slider to navigate.
While GOES animation code will not run on older Internet Explorer browsers,
they work in the newest versions of Microsoft Edge. If you are using
Internet Explorer, please try a different browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or
MS Edge are all supported.
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1122 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1123 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1124 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1125 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1126 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1127 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1128 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1129 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1130 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1131 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1132 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1133 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1134 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1136 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1137 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1138 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1140 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1141 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1144 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1145 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1146 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1147 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1148 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1150 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1151 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1152 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1154 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1155 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1156 UTC
Day Cloud Phase / Night Microphysics - Day: show phase of cloud tops; night: distinguish clouds from fog - 19 Jul 2024 - 1157 UTC
Day Cloud Phase key:
1 - Low level clouds with water droplets (cyan, lavender) 2 - Glaciating clouds (green) 3 - Snow (shades of green) 4 - Thick high level clouds with ice particles (yellow) 5 - Thin mid level clouds with water droplets (magenta) 6 - Thin high-level clouds with ice particles (red-orange) 7 - Land surface (shades of blue) 8 - Water surface (black)
The STAR GOES Imagery Site team has developed the Day Night Cloud Micro Combo product to more efficiently deliver the observational value of both the Day Cloud Phase Distinction & Night Microphysics RGB products.
Daytime: Day Cloud Phase RGB The daytime period of this RGB helps evaluate the phase of cooling cloud tops to monitor convective initiation, storm growth, and decay. It can also be used to identify snow on the ground. The Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB takes advantage of cloud reflectance differences between the visible and near infrared channels and temperature variances between land and clouds in the infrared to provide increased contrast between background surfaces and phases of clouds (i.e., water vs. ice). Due to its reliance on visible bands 2 and 5, it is only usable during daylight hours. This composite was developed by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) for Himawari-8. Interpretation is still under investigation.
Nighttime: Nighttime Microphysics RGB The distinction between low clouds and fog in satellite imagery is challenging. While the difference between the 10.4 and 3.9 μm channels has been a regularly applied product to meet aviation forecast needs, the Nighttime Microphysics (NtMicro) RGB adds another channel difference (12.4- 10.4 μm) as a proxy to cloud thickness and repeats the use of the 10.4 μm thermal channel to enhance areas of warm (i.e., low) clouds where fog is more likely. The NtMicro RGB is also an efficient tool to quickly identify other cloud types in the mid and upper atmosphere.