High resolution (1km) VIS Imagery
This is a 1 km GOES-8 visible image showing the thunderstorms on 31 May 1996 at 2215 UTC. The three marked towns all reported tornadoes in their vicinity within the time frame of the loop as follows: Sheridan Lake, CO (and into extreme western KS), between 2300 - 2350 UTC; Rolla, KS between 2252 - 2358 UTC and Ness City, KS, between 2309-2345 UTC. The cell in the TX panhandle produced tornadoes shortly after 0015 UTC.
Fine detail can be seen in all of the thunderstorm anvils, including overshooting tops and downstream cirrus plumes.
The flanking lines of the Sheridan Lake and Rolla storms are visible since the satellite viewing angle sees beneath the anvils. Different appearances and patterns of the lower clouds can give an indication of the low-level flow and stability.
In particular, look at the north/south oriented lines of clouds in OK and KS. Here the cloud lines are oriented
parallel to the low-level winds. Cloud lines oriented in this manner are known as cloud streets, and are indicative of a
relatively unstable air mass.
