[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

RE: (meteorobs) Weather- Best Satellite Loop



Robert,
	Here on the east coast, the best looking/ feeling picture I use is this:

http://iwin.nws.noaadot gov/iwin/images/ecirloop.gif

for the west coast:

http://iwin.nws.noaadot gov/iwin/images/wcirloop.gif

	What I like is that this is a 5 hour or so loop, which allows you to watch 
the clouds motion. It takes a while to download, but is not as brutal on 
your system resources as some of the other sites I use. Since I have an 
antique, but fast enough for me system with 64Mb RAM, I just minimize the 
thing on the bottom, and just hit refresh whenever I connect.
	This is an Infrared Picture, so for the less weatherwise, the following 
information may be useful.
	The IR sensor actually measures temperature, it does not "see" the clouds 
in visible light. There is also a visible version, but few of us (who are 
concerned with clouds) observe in the daytime when the visible loop is 
useful, so this is the one I use the most. Higher clouds are colder, 
therefor show up as whiter. This means a few things can fool you. First of 
all, low clouds do not show up very well. After you've looked at a lot of 
these satellite pix, you can get a feel for what low clouds look 
like...they are there, but very subtle. I suggest you punch up the picture 
on one of those gloomy low overcast drizzly days to see what it looks like 
over you. Of course, if there are higher clouds above the low clouds, the 
lower clouds may not be visible. If I remember, next time there's a good 
example I'll post a note to the list. In any case, low clouds aren't very 
subtle if you look up outside, so it's not likely you'd have any trouble 
noting them over your head...but once you get a feel for what they look 
like you can see the motion of the edges of the cloud mass which could be 
useful.
	The second item is that since the sensor measures temperature, very cold 
ground temperatures can appear as clouds. This is mostly a winter problem, 
when ground temperatures can be as cold as the cloud tops being measured. 
So if you know extreme cold temperatures are expected, you can disregard a 
slowly expanding milky area that spreads south as the night falls. Normally 
clouds will have motion within the wind field, so again, with practice, you 
should be able to detect the clouds by their motion.
	As I say, there are other sites, but they are real memory hogs, so this is 
a fairly quick and useful tool.

WeatherWayne

----------
From: 	Robert Gardner[SMTP:rendrag@earthlinkdot net]
Sent: 	Wednesday, January 05, 2000 11:14 PM
To: 	Meteor Observors
Subject: 	(meteorobs) Weather

Since cloud cover is so important to us in meteor observing, is there
any satellite images that will show the cloud cover?  My weather service
I receive from my internet provider, Earthlink, gives satellite images
which show no cloud cover at all.  This I don't understand.  The Doppler
radar is pretty much a repeat of the satellite photos.  All
astronautical photos show lots of clouds.  My maps are provided by:

http://www.weather.com/weather/maps/index.html

To UNSUBSCRIBE from the 'meteorobs' email list, use the Web form at:
http://www.tiacdot net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs/subscribe.html


begin 600 WINMAIL.DAT
M>)\^(AP0`0:0" `$```````!``$``0>0!@`(````Y 0```````#H``$(@ <`
M& ```$E032Y-:6-R;W-O9G0@36%I;"Y.;W1E`#$(`0V ! `"`````@`"``$$
MD 8`( $```$````,`````P``, (````+``\.``````(!_P\!````1P``````
M``"!*Q^DOJ,0&9UN`-T!#U0"`````&UE=&5O<F]B<T!J;W9I86XN8V]M`%--
M5% `;65T96]R;V)S0&IO=FEA;BYC;VT``!X``C !````!0```%--5% `````
M'@`#, $````5````;65T96]R;V)S0&IO=FEA;BYC;VT``````P`5# $````#
M`/X/!@```!X``3 !````%P```"=M971E;W)O8G- :F]V:6%N+F-O;2<```(!
M"S !````&@```%--5% Z345414]23T)30$I/5DE!3BY#3TT````#```Y````
M``L`0#H!`````@'V#P$````$`````````KLU`02 `0`M````4D4Z("AM971E
M;W)O8G,I(%=E871H97(M($)E<W0@4V%T96QL:71E($QO;W `7@\!!8 #``X`
M``#0!P$`!@`+`!X`*0`$`#0!`2" `P`.````T <!``8`"P`,`#8`! `O`0$)
M@ $`(0```$9%04%&-#1#.#8U-T)&,3$X-D(Q,38S-S-&,T8U,C4T`#8'`0.0
M!@","@``% ````L`(P```````P`F```````+`"D```````,`+@```````P`V
M``````! `#D`X%!27V-8OP$>`' ``0```"T```!213H@*&UE=&5O<F]B<RD@
M5V5A=&AE<BT@0F5S="!3871E;&QI=&4@3&]O< `````"`7$``0```!8````!
MOUAC7P>AR,Q9PT\1TX@2XR$#Z[0L```>`!X,`0````4```!33510`````!X`
M'PP!````% ```&UE=&5O<G- 96-L:7!S92YN970``P`&$!?WYZ8#``<0X@D`
M`!X`"! !````90```%)/0D525"Q(15)%3TY42$5%05-40T]!4U0L5$A%0D53
M5$Q/3TM)3D<O1D5%3$E.1U!)0U154D5)55-%25-42$E3.DA45% Z+R])5TE.
M3E=33D]!04=/5B])5TE.+TE-04=%4R\``````@$)$ $```#J" ``Y@@``-H/
M``!,6D9U2VFB@/\`"@$/`A4"I /D!>L"@P!0$P-4`@!C: K <V5T[C(&``;#
M`H,R`\8'$P*#QC,#Q0(`<')Q$B 3A2Y]"H (SPG9.Q9?,C4>-0* "H$-L0M@
M;F<QO# S%" +"A0B# %C`$!E!_%B!)!T+ J&`9$@$D@$D&4@`B @=&AQ'*!E
M87,%0 6@'4$L3QSC&V =417P;VL+@&<H+R!F">!L'L$@<!AI8W0(<!R@22!U
MW1'P( 0`'.$$`#H*A0J%@F@"0' Z+R]I`_!@;BYN=W,B@!V087 N9V]V(C,B
M, # 9Z4'D"\%D&ER'H%P(Q#?!I @_ (0!< <\G<>0AV#YR#O(?\C#R]W)#\G
M5APCWE<1P 5 (! ?0&L@52PQXR"B(&)A(#4GP AA'+"I!<!S;QYR<!W0=R"P
MFQ&P+<!L%? HH"!Y"&"['. NH'<L,"]1'/)C%?!,=60$( 1@=&D"("Z[( `M
M,6$LH"VR+R%L'*"5,#%D+[!N%?!A9!W0_&)U!4 @<2C0!4 =0!X@OG(SX = 
M'+(O\2YQ>1U0N&5M(!9@+I (<&,R4N\$("Z0!X <L&8<XS& '0"]+G%I-= $
M(" 3,=!3"X#W-G @`1' =AR@`Y$`<#&0=G$*4#.T9AU""? (8&<_+V EPC<!
M-:4#\!SP(#;$-$T<4%)!31W0(! V:B P!4!M"X '<&EZ_S+A'0$@H1]A',4&
MX ) `W#['= `<&0]1""P!4 68 -0[P>0+V O( GP93EP!< @$*T%H&Y!0!^P
M+ANZ5"UF.0.@26X#4 K "8 @4/\?I!W0+I$EQC+0!!$F0"PP_S?!`_$Z,1SR
M`A ODA]2"X#/)<$`P#&2,6!A>1XA("+89G5L0CT?\5(N@ GP_RZ0!< `T!_ 
M+X%(8 > '4#W']$@@37@< 20+#!$@T!AES,P!Y$T0B(1\&4B,+II"X @=@0`
M:0)@16%IWSLP0B!)TAR1+:)L+I$MT/].MD%A`) "(#I%!]$W,2 P_" H+R!0
M81R10<$V< 2@5T01/$,Q!"D<L&(1\'+W.7%.@1SR9$A0,9 W`4$2_QSC3K<J
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MLF<C( 1P'2!X84P`,M%)_B<OD!^ 6?$MP31!,N-%0_\$`$]Q0[ YD4A@;^$Z
M,6#I^4/Q;B=JVW/B+_)H\US!_0A@= "0#;!$LS@0>S$T0K\L@DLA8Y(_X#E5
M2&!T`V#_:U RT31!'U(<\37P<J8GL?T=,&1I@3/24S(OXV</+2/_:=%H]V9W
M<3)9I$?S-S4)@/\CX3<F,0-(,46B+S-S<5N _TA_28@1\$'!/^ X$37P+-;_
M`) X\ASR2E5+7T2#8H-;8I^'D(21/]%+Z5\$87!,$/\*P32!,01=A5W"6?%+
M(3*!_PN 8U(4P!M0,M _D58#D^]_E/6-\972DZ(T@8Q(,#!P_32191]2D>6&
MD 8`@G& ]/YK*- 'X'I1>:*3A)E;4N+?>E!,$!^P"8!F:&0$`!9@]F<+$2W!
M<R^A2R&@`3_!^YQ3`Q!K:>,MT)"$%,"&<?\VPC/@+V%8I ,`3U$ZD2^0_991
M3D>R2Q(Q!0/P?'$Y4]^*U3Q"514H43_@9@B06X#_1+,CT MQ+P$\4A3 2L$?
MH/\Z,2_R7'&-M0&@,M42`$(!?3"Z8H1A'0`J0#%F&[I!^SA"99!Y6\52TS>I
M,[1IM_^C80,@><$%L$A@+A!>\%?[_UY1"W J4$A@.A ?H&D@/\)?CB0P(0;P
M0C8*A5=%Y%<?2%!!0"KM"P,?0#$X,,$"T6DM,30T#? ,T'.Y@PM9,38*H -@
MK*,M7[NG"H>Z6PPPNR9&`V$ZS[RNNR8<(QM$($<+$4% @');4TU44#I_P;MP
M,"/00)61'/ ?06LH@/T2`%V\3[U=!F ",+Z/OYO;MN#!`7-5@1W02@!P2O Y
M8J$P-1W0`="Y(" Q;#$ZN8!$,$W##[U=5+9OQ4^_FTVLD06Q3U2CW06P<\EO
MQ!YK4&I"`<N/_;^;* > S8)4D51PMN6WK_FXLS,VNB<2\@P!Q(<XX_^,A 6@
M06(@<8)B3 `6`3G1_S B4F%.@=+$5(4>P4R16*/_%F *A7YB99@CM"STIQ-<
M<_.,2->C/R %T&*R1?-*0=_:039P"H5Y@C9P:3EQ`U)_,6!(8)>CPL&7\DZP
M6Y-%_\(V'= JL#EP-L';_0J%+R3_7',HT-<[9')B\D+T(! S,+]_XID143'8
ML9T!2=-$*H#_?!'3UD/@58#7XZ0!`D!+,?YU+U(V`96!9.9EBBX0,# _EE$3
M<"^0VS8=4 -@;F'_,^ ?H#3Q[41<9&3!B_.6!K_>\@# G %2XN)%C=%Y)NW_
MU7T;`0Q@%D"[);C0PI"#T54GY'?V("Y%U2X%H&T[*A!%Y"_Q4B@PZ'%X+GTG
MT&WTP=6?K+(F_,M@( !53E-50E-#4EA)0D7A)!SR)]+')_\=( # `Q%]TAW0
M66:VX!Q0_T>B9&$FYO./])_UJC&0JJ MPK(O(#$1X"\RT'=KEW^R]Y#2UB]K
M07-C<$#_&V#X3_E?U$_56!J5!FT8T0(`"I ```,`$! ``````P`1$ ````! 
M``<P`"9 XV!8OP% ``@P`"9 XV!8OP$>`#T``0````4```!213H@``````,`
(#33]-P``%LY8
`
end

To UNSUBSCRIBE from the 'meteorobs' email list, use the Web form at:
http://www.tiacdot net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs/subscribe.html

Follow-Ups: