CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report [ Archive ]

CIMSS-NOAA WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING JULY 24, 2026

DATA, INFORMATION, AND USE-INSPIRED SCIENCE:

NUCAPS Emissivity Retrieval Assessment: The operational NOAA-20 NUCAPS Version 3.2 emissivity retrievals for 2025 were evaluated against the NASA CAMEL V3 climatology emissivity dataset at six well-characterised validation sites. The assessment highlighted opportunities for improvement, including occasional emissivity values exceeding physically realistic limits (>1) and discontinuities between the shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) spectral ranges. Findings and recommendations were shared with the NOAA NUCAPS team, including the suggestion to incorporate the CAMEL V3 emissivity climatology covariance into the retrieval algorithm to better constrain emissivity estimates within physically realistic bounds and improve spectral consistency. (E. Borbas, CIMSS, 608-263-0228) 

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Figure: Emissivity spectra from the 2025 matchup dataset of CAMEL V3 Climatology (top row), NUCAPS emissivity first guess (middle row), and NUCAPS retrieved emissivity product (bottom rows) for the Namib quartz desert (left) and ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) grassland case sites.

PEOPLE, AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

TRAVEL AND MEETINGS:

TRAINING AND EDUCATION:

MEDIA INTERACTIONS AND REQUESTS:

SOCIAL MEDIA AND BLOG Posts:

CIMSS Satellite Blog Updates: The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) Satellite Blog was updated with the following posts: "Hiker dies after being struck by lightning in Utah" (Jul. 18), "Tropical Depression Two develops in the Gulf of Mexico" (Jul. 19), "Dual Tropical Systems in the Eastern Pacific" (Jul. 20), "Tropical Storm Bertha develops in the northern Gulf of Mexico, eventually making landfall in Louisiana" (Jul. 21) and "Large area of convection with prolific lightning southwest of Tropical Storm Bertha’s center" (Jul. 23). (S. Bachmeier, T. Wagner, CIMSS, 608.890.1980)

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Figure: GOES-18 Visible image at 2150 UTC on July 19, 2026 -- showing tropical cyclones Elida and Fausto in the East Pacific Ocean.

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Figure: GOES-18 Visible and Infrared images with an overlay of GLM Flash Extent Density and Flash Points at 1806 UTC on July 18, 2026 -- showing a compact thunderstorm east of Salt Lake City, Utah around the time that a hiker was fatally struck by lightning.

PUBLICATIONS:

Paper on Great Lakes Snow Events published: A paper authored by CIMSS researchers Tim Wagner and Marian Mateling on Great Lakes snow events was published this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres. The paper, titled "The Synoptic, Microphysical, and Radar Characteristics of Upper Great Lakes Snow Events," explores the relationship between radar reflectivity, snow microphysics, and snowfall rates in different synoptic-scale flow regimes. The motivation of this paper is to develop a truth dataset of snow intensity to serve as a fundamental input into a machine-learning approach to retrieve that parameter from satellite observations. CIMSS alumni Claire Pettersen and Mark Kulie also significantly contributed to this manuscript. The publication is available through open access. (T. Wagner, CIMSS, 608-890-1980) 

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Figure: Empirically derived power law fits of snowfall rate to radar reflectivity (black) for lake effect snow events (left), synoptically-forced snow events (center), and ambiguous snow events (right). Two different snow-rate-to-radar-reflectivity relationships in operational use are also depicted.

Paper on VIIRS–CrIS Fusion Radiance Product published: A paper describing the Version 2 VIIRS–CrIS fusion radiance product has been published in the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing. The product combines observations from the NOAA VIIRS imager and CrIS sounder to generate MODIS-like infrared absorption band radiances at VIIRS spatial resolution, enabling enhanced use of hyperspectral infrared observations. The paper also presents a comprehensive characterisation of the product's pixel-level uncertainty. The publication is available online. Citation: Borbas, E. E., E. Weisz, W. P. Menzel, C. Moeller, G. Quinn, and B. Baum, Fusion of VIIRS and CrIS observations to generate MODIS-like infrared absorption band radiances at VIIRS spatial resolution: Version 2 fusion radiance product, Part I: Pixel-level uncertainty, J. Appl. Remote Sens., 20(3), 038504 (2026). (E. Borbas, CIMSS, 608-263-0228)

OTHER: