| Interpreting Satellite Images
I know alot of folks here know about weather and interpreting wefax maps. I would like to access that expertise and learn how to interpret satellite imagery. Around 9:15 this AM, Pacific Coast Time, NOAA 17 made a pass. I finally got the hardware configured correctly and got one of the best images to date. Turns out the sound input to the Mac was too low and thus the software was not able to code one of the sat's sensors in yesterday's images.
Here are four images. The dual image is the raw data -- no processing. The image to the right of the Raw is a MultiSpectral Analysis that combines channels 3 and 4. I do not know what that means. (Right now, I simply parrot what I read while seeking education.). The image below Raw is an MSA with Precipitation. I do not know the algorithms NOAA uses to detemine how to color precipiatation. It has something to do with (1) density of cloud mass, (2) elevation of cloud mass, and (3) probability curves -- the result is a false colored image of where it might be raining. Th final image is from 6am I caught NOAA 15 for a short period of time -- it imaged a chunk of the Pacific.
Here are some questions I am throwing out.
Can anyone judge wind speed based on the trailings of clouds on the MSA image?
Is the wide swath of air moving from west to northwest -- is that the Jet Stream?
If I was off the coast of Baja and this image came in -- what would be thing to do?
Does that dark and red area mean heavy rain or heavy rain and heavy winds? To me it looks like that cloud mass wants to sit, but it is being pulled against its will in a northwest direction.
In regards to NOAA 15: What am I looking at in the middle where there are no clouds? A high? or a low? If you look at the top of NOAA 15, it looks like everything is spinning clockwise around an invisible mass. Is that a high? A low?
I know folks here really know wefax maps -- I hope you people that know wefax will take a moment to marry what you know of wefax onto these images.
The names of the picture files are like so: The starting number is the NOAA satellite. The initials indicate direction (SB= Southbound, just like the Allman Bros!!) The words say the filters. The ending numbers represent month day time (UTC).
Thanks
Michael
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