Connell, Combs
 
    The archival of 2-byte GOES-8 and GOES-9 Continental US (CONUS) sectors at 4 km resolution continues.  This effort is directed at developing consistent monthly climatologies for all AWIPS sites over the United States.   Average, maximum, and minimum image composites as well as collection and processing statistics were derived for December, January and February for GOES 8 and 9 CONUS sectors for the visible channel (every daylight hour), and for 3.9 µm, 6.7 µm, 10.7 µm and 12.0 µm channels (every other hour).  In addition, cloud frequency composites were created for the visible channel, every daylight hour.

    Collection of PCGRIDDS - ETA 12 UTC model data continues daily.  The gridded data are being used to generate a mean boundary layer (~1000-700 hPa) wind speed and a resultant boundary layer wind direction to designate a wind regime for use in the  monthly satellite climatologies.  Programs have been written to calculate the information once daily (12 UTC) for each of the AWIPS (108) sites.  This information is being used in the development of the CONUS monthly climatologies.   Wind regimes have been determined for December 1997, January 1998, and February 1998.
 
    Using the above data, a program was designed and tested to produce climatologies.  These climatologies cover a small sector (120 by 320 pixels) centered on each AWIPS site.  For each wind regime that occurs at a given site, a climatology is produced consisting of the average radiance values for the visible, 3.9 µm, and 10.7 µm channels. Wind regime climatologies were produced for December 1997 and January 1998.  For an example of these climatologies for the North and West wind regimes for December 1997 centered at the Fort Worth/Dallas station see the following GIF image.  (Click on image for full size display.)
 

 

 
    Developments currently under way include adding standard deviations to the CONUS sector climatologies, and adding visible channel cloud frequency composites to the wind regime climatologies.