CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report [ Archive ]

CIMSS-NOAA WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 10, 2025

DATA, INFORMATION, AND USE-INSPIRED SCIENCE:

PEOPLE, AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

TRAVEL AND MEETINGS:

TRAINING AND EDUCATION:

CIMSS Scientist Helps Conduct Central Asian Forecaster Training: Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies Scientist Tim Wagner traveled to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the week of 6 October to help lead a forecaster training session organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Focusing on applications of satellite data for Central Asian countries, this training session also included representatives from EUMETSAT, Uzhydromet (the Uzbekistan weather agency), and other international groups. As part of this workshop, Dr. Wagner led a day-long interactive training session on using satellite data to monitor and forecast hazardous weather conditions in central Asia, including fires, floods, and severe weather. Students from Uzhydromet and other national meteorological services gained hands-on experience with tools that enable them to use freely-available satellite data to monitor and forecast impactful weather events in their home countries. (T. Wagner, CIMSS, 608-890-1980)

CIMSS Participation in NOAASatHack: The NOAA Satellites Hackathon (NOAASatHack) is a virtual competition that challenges undergraduate and graduate students globally to develop original projects communicating earth and space science derived from NOAA satellite data. Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies Researcher Steve Wanzong delivered an "Intro to NOAA Geostationary Satellites and Instruments" during the geostationary training session, a presentation originally slated for NOAA Scientist Andrew Heidinger. CIMSS Researcher William Straka presented "Utilizing VIIRS to Detect Natural Hazards" in the JPSS training session. Wanzong and Straka will continue to serve as subject matter experts for the teams yet to be formed for the student competition, which starts the week of October 13, 2025. (Heidinger, NOAA/NESDIS, 608-263-6757, W. Straka, CIMSS, S. Wanzong, CIMSS, 608-215-6752)

CIMSS Hosts 2025 Suomi Scholarship Recipients: Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies research scientists and students welcomed the 2025 Suomi Undergraduate Scholarship recipients for our annual Suomi Scholar luncheon (https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/education/verner-e-suomi-scholarship/). CIMSS researchers and students shared anecdotes about their professional journeys and provided advice about coursework, career paths, and possible internship opportunities. All 5 Suomi Scholars are from Wisconsin with strong backgrounds in mathematics, physics, and community engagement. It was an enthusiastic and enjoyable outreach event for both participants and recipients. The new campus undergraduates discussed their interests in atmospheric science, meteorology, remote sensing, environmental science, applied physics, and data science. This grassroots interaction is designed to foster interest in satellite and NOAA research through informal round table discussion and information exchange. (W. Feltz, CIMSS 608-265-6283, T. L'Ecuyer, CIMSS, 608-890-2107)

MEDIA INTERACTIONS AND REQUESTS:

SOCIAL MEDIA AND BLOG Posts:

CIMSS Satellite Blog Updates: The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) Satellite Blog (https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/) was updated with the following posts: "Thermal signatures of the Chevron El Segundo refinery fire near Los Angeles" (Oct. 2) and "1-minute GOES-18 imagery to monitor the potential of flash flooding in American Samoa" (Oct. 9). (S. Bachmeier, CIMSS)

  (Click image to enlarge)

Figure: GOES-18 Microphysics RGB image with an overlay of NGFS Fire Detection polygons at 0431 UTC on October 3, 2025, showing the thermal signature of a fire at the El Segundo refinery near Los Angeles.

  (Click image to enlarge)

Figure: GOES-18 Infrared image with an overlay of Total Precipitable Water (in cloud-free areas) and GLM Flash Points (white), along with plots of METAR surface reports (cyan) at 0450 UTC on October 9, 2025 -- showing rain shower activity that was moving across the American Samoa island of Tutuila.

PUBLICATIONS:

OTHER: