Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
After tracking round after round of atmospheric rivers dropping heavy rain across the West Coast this year, NOAA satellites observed a new atmospheric river that began impacting the water-logged state on March 19, 2023.
Read more:
nesdis.noaa.gov/news/more-heavy-rain-snow-and-wind-hitting-western-us
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Flood map imagery courtesy of SSEC.
Music:
“Mirage” by Ben Niblett [PRS] and Jonathan David Cotton [PRS]; Chappell Recorded Music Library Ltd; Universal Production Music
After tracking round after round of atmospheric rivers dropping heavy rain across the West Coast this year, NOAA satellites observed a new atmospheric river that began impacting the water-logged state on March 19, 2023.
Read more:
nesdis.noaa.gov/news/more-heavy-rain-snow-and-wind-hitting-western-us
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Flood map imagery courtesy of SSEC.
Music:
“Mirage” by Ben Niblett [PRS] and Jonathan David Cotton [PRS]; Chappell Recorded Music Library Ltd; Universal Production Music

![NOAA Releases Initial Imagery from the GOES-19 Lightning Mapper
The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument, onboard NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite, is now continuously observing lightning over the Western Hemisphere. GOES-19 launched on June 25, 2024. GLM detects and maps total lightning—in-cloud, cloud-to-cloud, and cloud-to-ground—continuously over the Americas and adjacent ocean regions. GLM offers insights beyond the presence of a lightning strike, revealing the spatial and temporal extent of lightning flashes.
Recently, the GOES-19 GLM detected and monitored lightning activity in two extremely hazardous hurricanes. On Sept. 24, 2024, GLM observed widespread lightning as a cluster of thunderstorms in the western Caribbean Sea consolidated into Tropical Storm Helene. Continuous lightning in the outer rain bands was accompanied by occasional eyewall lightning, as Hurricane Helene rapidly intensified in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Frequent lightning completely enveloped the eyewall as the storm intensified further on its final approach to the Florida coastline. Away from the storm center, GLM helped identify the most intense thunderstorms most likely to produce tornadoes.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Lockheed Martin
CISESS - UMD
B-roll provided by Artbeats
Music:
“Movimento” by Max Cameron Concors [ASCAP]; Hypersonic Music; Universal Production Music NOAA Releases Initial Imagery from the GOES-19 Lightning Mapper](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ngn7rpqaw5E/mqdefault.jpg)
![A Look Back at Debby
Throughout last week, NOAA satellites monitored Debby, a storm that struck Florida’s Big Bend region near Steinhatchee before moving up the East Coast where it brought widespread flooding and damaging winds that reached as far north as New York state along with a few destructive tornadoes along the way.
Learn more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/look-back-debby
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Music:
“Introspection” by Adam Salkeld [PRS]; Nova Production Music Ltd [PRS]; Universal Production Music A Look Back at Debby](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/noPQu7UP7w8/mqdefault.jpg)

![Earth from Orbit: Atlantic Hurricane Season Hits Its Peak
Sept. 10 marked the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Climatologists determined this peak date by recording the total number of named storms in the Atlantic basin over the last 100 hurricane seasons and taking an average of when the most storms occur. Around 75% of Atlantic seasons since the beginning of the satellite era in 1966 have had at least one named storm on September 10 and about 50% of seasons have had at least one active hurricane on that date. Historically, September has seen more Category 5 hurricanes than any other month, with 21 storms reaching that level on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Tropical activity tends to peak around this time because of warmer Atlantic Ocean temperatures and weaker wind shear. As summer progresses, the water temperature in the tropics rises, thanks to sunny days, warmer air temperatures, and more moisture in the atmosphere. Warmer ocean temperatures drive greater storm activity. Wind shear, a change in wind speed or direction with height, is stronger in the spring and weakens through June and July. By late August, wind shear reaches a minimum. Wind shear can help prevent the development of tropical storms and hurricanes.
The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season has been an active one, with 14 named storms to date, including six hurricanes and three major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5). An average Atlantic hurricane season sees eight named storms and three hurricanes by mid-September. Only four other years since satellite observations began in 1966 had 14 or more named storms by September 12: 2005, 2011, 2012, and 2020.
Throughout hurricane season, NOAA satellites have remained vigilant, monitoring the ocean and atmospheric conditions that lead to the development of tropical storms and hurricanes. Once a storm forms, the satellites provide critical data—such as location, movement, and intensity—to track the storms. NOAA satellites have monitored several recent storms.
*
*
Learn more:
*
*
Video Credits:
NOAA
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Music:
“Roads Ahead,” by Espen Fahlen [PRS]; Atmosphere; Universal Production Music Earth from Orbit: Atlantic Hurricane Season Hits Its Peak](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oX8wele1r7o/mqdefault.jpg)
![Extreme Heat and Severe Weather Plague Parts of North America
A dangerous heat wave that has been affecting more than 50 million people across the southern U.S. and Mexico expanded its reach this week, bringing more dangerous triple-digit temperatures to the region. At the same time, many others were affected by numerous thunderstorms and some tornadoes within the Plains and central U.S. NOAA satellites and forecasting models have been monitoring the record-breaking temperatures, which are being brought on by what is called a “heat dome,” in addition to the severe weather.
A heat dome occurs when a persistent region of high-pressure traps heat over a particular area, and it can linger for days to weeks. Heat domes are typically linked to the behavior of the jet stream, which is a band of fast-moving winds high in the atmosphere that move in meandering wavelike patterns. When the jet stream meanders north, it moves slower and can sink, which lowers humidity. This allows the sun to create progressively hotter conditions on the ground. Air descending down mountains can also contribute to heat domes, as it warms even more.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA/GSFC
CIRA
Music: “A Sight to Behold” by Benji Paul Merrison [PRS] & Will Slater [PRS]; BBC Production Music; Universal Production Music Extreme Heat and Severe Weather Plague Parts of North America](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pcsu8TX5R04/mqdefault.jpg)
![NOAA Satellites Detect Severe Solar Storm
From March 23–24, 2024, NOAA’s GOES satellites, and others operated by international partners, observed numerous flares erupt from the sun, including a powerful X-class solar flare. Additionally, a surge of extremely hot plasma, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), raced toward Earth resulting in geomagnetic storms and auroras.
This CME reached our planet at 10:37 a.m. EDT (1437 GMT) on Sunday, March 24, triggering a severe G4-class geomagnetic storm, marking the most potent solar storm since 2017. However, according to a Geomagnetic Storm Watch from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, there was no reason for the public to be alarmed.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Music: “Snow and Ice” by Matthew Gee Kong Wong [ASCAP]; Chappell; Universal Production Music NOAA Satellites Detect Severe Solar Storm](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pm1oxpV_DUA/mqdefault.jpg)


![NOAA Satellites Track Atmospheric Rivers
Since Jan. 31, NOAA satellites have been closely monitoring a series of strong atmospheric rivers bringing heavy rain and mountain snow from central California to the Pacific Northwest, the Sierra, southern Cascades, and northern Rocky mountains.
Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of concentrated water vapor that transport moisture from warm tropical oceans to higher latitudes. In these regions, heat from the sun causes large amounts of water to evaporate into the atmosphere. When this humid air meets the mountains along the West Coast, the winds blow uphill, and the air cools, condenses, and precipitates, forming a torrent of rain and wind.
These systems vary in size and strength, but on average, they carry as much water vapor as the Mississippi River discharges at its mouth—and some can even transport up to 15 times that amount. When they make landfall, they unleash heavy rain or snow, accounting for roughly 30 to 50 percent of annual precipitation in the West Coast states.
NOAA and its partners utilize advanced satellite observations to study atmospheric rivers. Satellite data, combined with land-based observations, helps refine forecast models, improving predictions of atmospheric river intensity and duration to support water resource management and public safety.
Learn more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaa-satellites-track-powerful-atmospheric-rivers-impacting-the-west-coast
Credits:
NOAA, NASA, CIRA
Total Precipitable Water graphic courtesy of CIMSS
Music: “Argosy” by David Norath [BMI], Arun Ganapathy [BMI] and Victor Mercader [BMI]; Emperia Beta Publishing; Universal Production Music NOAA Satellites Track Atmospheric Rivers](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qmFKMwSsQPQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![5 Haunting Sights from NOAA Satellites
NOAA satellites keep vigilant watch over the Earth 24/7, and occasionally view some haunting images, shown above.
Also, dont let the GOES-T scare you... it didnt rise from the graveyard orbit! Our newest satellite will launch in February of next year, and we cant wait to see what else it will show us from above!
*
*
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Additional imagery courtesy of CIMSS, and Lockheed Martin.
Stock footage provided by Iario/Pond5
Music:
“Ghost and Ghouls,” by Rob Manning [PRS]; Atmosphere; Universal Production Music 5 Haunting Sights from NOAA Satellites](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qmfO-JTTB-8/mqdefault.jpg)