CIMSS-NOAA Weekly Report [ Archive ]

CIMSS-NOAA WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING AUGUST 22, 2025

DATA, INFORMATION, AND USE-INSPIRED SCIENCE:

SSEC/CIMSS Rapid Burn Scar Mapping Fills Information Gap: The recent addition of automation and easy access to the satellite-derived, multi-sensor BRISK (Burned area Rapid Interim Severity RisK) map produced at the Space Science and Engineering Center/Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies is making a difference for NWS forecasters. Researchers (S. Batzli and D. Losos, SSEC/CIMSS) have now automated their Google Earth Engine algorithm, producing a daily map that includes each fire over 10,000 acres in the contiguous United States. A new website and API (https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/brisk/) offer immediate access to the maps. The algorithm fuses together the best resolution and newest cloud-free pixels from eight different polar and geo satellites carrying four different sensors (GOES-E/W, NOAA-20/21, Landsat-8/9, Sentinel-2b/c). The product has become important to forecasters because it fills the gap for post fire risk assessment that exists before traditional soil burn severity maps made by BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) teams are available from USFS/USGS. BRISK maps are automatically made when a fire becomes large enough that its burned area creates a risk of post-fire flash flood or debris flow in areas of steep terrain. This can occur prior to containment and before BAER teams have finished their work. Once a BAER SBS maps is available, the BRISK map has done its interim job and becomes obsolete. The recent Madre fire in California is a good example. NWS Senior Service Hydrologist Jayme Laber reported the following: "I have been able to make use of the BRISK map for the Madre burn area in San Luis Obispo County in my forecast area here in Southern California. The BAER team is currently assessing the burn area, but I was able to access your information in advance. We have a slight chance of thunderstorms in the vicinity of the burn area in the next few days and this does provide us with some advanced intel regarding areas of potential high risk, especially along Highway 166." Future improvements for BRISK include developing an AWIPS compatible version and expanding coverage to Alaska. (S. Batzli and D. Losos, SSEC/CIMSS) 

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Figure: Screenshot of the Madre fire burn scar in the BRISK (Burned area Rapid Interim Severity RisK) map viewer.

CIMSS VIIRS Tandem Winds Product Observes Large Polar Cyclone near the Central Arctic: The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies Polar winds team has been routinely generating Atmospheric Motion Vectors (AMV) using both NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 VIIRS IR (11um, M15) imagery. One advantage of using two satellites in tandem is that it reduces the time interval in which cloud objects are tracked, reducing potential tracking errors. Over the past week, a large slow moving Polar Cyclone has developed near the central Arctic, north of the Chukchi Sea. The CIMSS VIIRS tandem winds product has monitored this event, with IR image and associated winds shown. The AMVs capture two inflows into the low-pressure system, one coming out of northern Alaska and another coming from near Severnaya Zemlya (north of Russia). Polar cyclones of this size can influence the Sea Ice Extent by increasing wave activity and ocean water mixing that breaks up the ice. However, to this point, the cyclone is not as strong the Great Arctic cyclone of August 2012, which formed over the same region. We will continue to monitor the cyclone, as it is forecasted to gradually strengthen over the next couple days. (R. Dworak, CIMSS, 608-265-8620, D. Santek, CIMSS, 608-263-7410, J. Key, CIMSS, 608-890-4239) 

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Figure: VIIRS IR (11 um) M15 channel image and cloud track derived winds from August 19, at 2054 UTC polar crossing time.

PEOPLE, AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

TRAVEL AND MEETINGS:

CIMSS Scientist Visits Duluth Weather Forecast Office: CIMSS Scientist Tim Wagner visited the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Duluth, Minnesota on Monday, August 18th, to meet with forecasters, assess their current utilization of satellite products, and discuss their future needs for both satellite products and training in how to use those products. Topics of discussion included operational use of red-green-blue (RGB) products, interrogation and meaning of the NOAA Unique Combined Atmospheric Processing System (NUCAPS) sounding and gridded products, and the implementation of CIMSS-developed products like ProbSevere and LightningCast into the operational forecaster workflow. Feedback from these one-on-one forecaster discussions will be used to develop the next generation of training materials for NWS forecasters.

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: "Hurricane Erin reaches Category 5 intensity north of the Leeward Islands" (Aug. 16) and "Goodnight, NOAA-15" (Aug. 19). (S. Bachmeier, D. Schumacher, CIMSS)

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Figure: NOAA-15 AVHRR Near-Infrared "Vegetation" (Band 2) image showing cloud features across southeast Canada, the eastern U.S., the western Atlantic and the northern Gulf of Mexico at 1246 UTC on August 18, 2025.

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Figure: GOES-19 ABI Visible (top) and Infrared (bottom) images at 1600 UTC on August 16, 2025 -- showing the eye of Hurricane Erin about 40 minutes after the tropical cyclone reached Category 5 intensity north of the Leeward Islands.

PUBLICATIONS:

Recent BAMS article highlights NOAA NESDIS’ benefit from LEO program: A recent BAMS article coauthored by Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies scientist Allen Huang highlights the success of NOAA NESDIS’s LEO program. The paper, “Low Earth Orbit Meteorological Satellite Direct Broadcast System with Regional Real-Time Operation and Low-Latency Application,” shows how NOAA’s work in direct broadcast systems, the open-source Community Satellite Processing Package (CSPP), and real-time applications has created a core infrastructure. This technology is now used by 3,639 CSPP users in 103 countries. The article also notes the seamless collaboration between CIMSS and NESDIS, which is now extending from the LEO program to the GEO program. (A. Huang, CIMSS, 608-263-5283)

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Figure: CSSP registered users and their locations (as of June 1, 2025).

OTHER: