the GOES-9 large-scale imagery. Because of the different viewing angle, the shortwave is more difficult to see
in the GOES-8 imagery, although the thunderstorms it helped initiate are clearly visible. Since this channel is
sensitive to mid- and upper-level moisture, only convection of significant depth is seen.
Typically, water vapor imagery is used to monitor synoptic-scale flow patterns, circulations and jet streams. However, mesoscale influences may also appear in the imagery. The thunderstorm in east-central CO appears to have a darker area to the southwest of the bright cloud top, suggesting storm-scale sinking and rising motions, respectively.