This 2.5-minute rapid scan animation from the Japan Meteorological Agency’s Himwari-8 satellite shows Super Typhoon Nepartak churning through the northwest Pacific Ocean July 7, 2016. At the time of the animation, Nepartak had intensified to a category 5 hurricane equivalent and was bearing down on Taiwan with maximum sustained winds of 145 knots (166 miles per hour). The Himawari-8 satellite carries an Advanced Himawari Imager, which is very similar to the GOES-R Advanced Baseline Imager. This animation highlights the spatial resolution that will be available from GOES-R. The ability to see such detail in the eye of the storm is very important to forecasters. The view inside the eye can help determine if there is dry air eroding the storm, signaling potential weakening. The eye location is also important for tracking the storm. GOES-R will be able to scan even faster than Himwari-8, as often as every 30 seconds for targeted areas of severe weather.
Credit: Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmopshere
