NOAA-3 Satellite Observations of Thunderstorms in Alaska

Abstract

The very high resolution radiometer imagery from the NOAA-3 satellite is used to obtain the spatial and temporal distribution of thunderstorms in Alaska. Although the observations presented here are confined to only one summer, they show 1) the capability of NOAA-3 very high resolution radiometer imagery for thunderstorm studies, and 2) that the widespread thunderstorm development is the result of the interaction of large-scale motion with topography of certain areas in the interior of Alaska.