This is this evenings view from the GOES 16. GOES 16 is one the best, and newest, weather satellites ever put into service. It’s sitting up there at about 22,000 miles. It is Geo-stationary locked over the America’s. I still remember watching it launch back in 2016 aboard a ULA rocket, scared that it would blow up, and I would have to wait even longer. It didn’t and it was put into service about a year later.
The images it produces are incredible. It’s called GOES 16 because it has 16 different spectral bands. Ranging from true color, to infrared, to a lighting mapper, to sun facing stuff. The lighting mapper has been used to help the reliability of tornado warnings. Sun facing is where we get our solar flare warnings. It has real world applications and is used everyday.
Another great thing about it is, I have access to it and so, do you. Everyone does. It’s amazing. You can view the GOES 16 imagery here.
In the above image we see Oklahoma. It’s clear. You can see a few higher clouds moving SE. However, all those white lines streaming south are smoke. Smoke from fires all throughout our state, and Arkansas too.
I had a theory, so today spoke with someone in forestry department in Sallisaw, and he confirmed it.
My theory was: All the smoke was from all the insane amounts of rain we’ve had over the last few years. This has forced a lot the states wildlife management areas to postpone their prescribed spring burns. This is really the first dry March we’ve had in awhile.
Exhibits A and B Last March on this day.
