CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report [ Archive ]

CIMSS-NOAA WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 21, 2025

DATA, INFORMATION, AND USE-INSPIRED SCIENCE:

PEOPLE, AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

TRAVEL AND MEETINGS:

National Research Energy Laboratory (NREL) Visit to UW-Madison CIMSS: Dr. Manajit Sengupta and Dr. Yu Xie from the Golden, Colorado based National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) visited UW-Madison SSEC/CIMSS November 11th – 12th to discuss various research collaboration opportunities regarding improvement of space based solar energy surface monitoring and short-term forecasting. Dr. Sengupta gave a seminar titled “The National Solar Radiation Data Base (NSRDB)” that focused on recent improvements to the NSRDB underlying Physical Solar Model (PSM) as well as the GOES-based cloud-properties generated at CIMSS using the Clouds from AVHRR Extended (CLAVR-x) system. Outcomes of the visit included actively strategizing CIMSS role within the NSRDB, which include applying AI/ML techniques to derive sub-pixel information on cloud amount and optical depth. The NSRDB has a large user base (~400K users per year world-wide) and applications include photovoltaic grid placement, building design, and creation of models to simulate power output or assess project feasibility. (M. Foster, CIMSS, 608-261-1361; W. Feltz, CIMSS, 608-265-6283; T. L’Ecuyer, CIMSS, 608-890-2107)

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Figure: Dr. Xie and Dr. Sengupta of NREL, along with M. Foster of CIMSS.

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 (https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/) was updated with the following posts: "Satellite signatures of the EUMETSAT Sentinel-6B launch" (Nov. 16), "Pyrocumulonimbus clouds in Western Australia" (Nov. 17), "When True Color Is False" (Nov. 18), "Offshore transport of blowing dust from southern Argentina" (Nov. 18), "Extreme turbulence over Lower Michigan" (Nov. 20) and "Flash Flooding in American Samoa" (Nov. 20). (S. Bachmeier, T. Wagner, CIMSS, 608-890-1980)

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Figure: GOES-19 Dust RGB image at 2100 UTC on November 17, 2025, showing a large plume of blowing dust (brighter shades of magenta) being transported offshore from southern Argentina.

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Figure: GOES-18 Day Convection RGB image at 1920 UTC on November 20, 2025, showing thunderstorms that produced flash flooding on the American Samoa island of Tutuila.

PUBLICATIONS:

Co-author paper on improving tropical cyclone forecasts from assimilating GNSS-RO observations published: A manuscript titled “The Impact of Assimilating GNSS-RO Observations on HAFS Tropical Cyclone Forecasts from the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season” had been published in the American Meteorological Society Weather and Forecasting journal. This study shows that assimilating Global Navigation Satellite System Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) bending angle (BA) data into the Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS) model significantly improves tropical cyclone (TC) forecasts. Track forecasts improved by 15-20%, especially for longer lead times, with better predictions of landfall, as seen in Hurricane Ian. The use of more GNSS-RO data through Radio Occultation Modeling Experiment (ROMEX) further enhanced TC intensity forecasts, showing 25-30% improvements, particularly for rapid intensification. Overall, GNSS-RO data improves both TC track and intensity predictions. The citation is B. R. Johnston, L. Cucurull, R. Anthes, M. J. Mueller, and A. H. N. Lim (2025): The Impact of Assimilating GNSS-RO Observations on HAFS Tropical Cyclone Forecasts from the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Weather and Forecasting, 40(12), 2539-2559. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1175/WAF-D-25-0045.1 (A. Lim, CIMSS, 608-265-8620)

OTHER: