![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
. | ![]() |
. |
![]() by Staff Writers Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 14, 2016
Imagery and an animation of infrared imagery from the AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite showed the movement of cold, Arctic air over the U.S. from Dec. 1 to Dec. 11. That frigid air mass is expected to affect states from the north central to the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument measures temperature data in infrared light. At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, a series of AIRS images and an animated were created to depict the temperature of air at heights of 500 millibars. Temperatures at that level of the atmosphere were as cold as or colder than minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit). 500 millibars is about 18,000 feet or 5,500 meters high. A millibar is a unit for measuring air pressure. The animation of AIRS imagery showed the cooler temperatures in darker blue and warmer temperatures in dark orange. The edge of the blue indicated the border of the cold air. On Dec. 7, cold arctic air descended into the Plains states and reached Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. T hat cold air shifted east on Dec. 9 into the Ohio Valley and New England. On Dec. 11 another trough of cold air was sweeping down from Canada into the northern plains and is expected to bring very chilly temperatures over the north central and northeastern U.S. on Dec. 14 and 15.. On AIRS 500 millibar imagery, generally, warmer than average temperatures can be found under ridges where the curve lifts northward. Colder temperatures can be found under troughs, or where the front dips toward the southward. These maps give a large-scale picture of the weather pattern over the continental United States and North America. The 500 millibar maps are useful in examining winter weather patterns between about 30 degrees and 60 degrees latitude. A cold air mass in place over the northern plains on Dec. 13 is expected to be reinforced by a fast-moving arctic frontal boundary on Dec. 14.That second air mass is expected to drop temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below average from the northern plains to the Upper Midwest. NOAA's National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Service in College Park, Maryland noted in their forecast discussion on Dec. 13, "An arctic air mass will produce wind chills of minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit or colder across the northern Plains over the next few days. This arctic air will move down the Plains and into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys into the mid-Atlantic and northeast by the end of the week."
![]() ![]()
Related Links Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Observation News - Suppiliers, Technology and Application
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |