Super-Rapid Scan Satellite Imagery Analysis of Two Hailstorms Sampled by HailSTONE

Over the last several years, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-14 Super Rapid Scan Operations for GOES-R (SRSOR) has operated in an experimental 1-minute mode to serve testbed and proving ground evaluations, as well as research efforts, leading up to the launch in GOES-R in late 2016. These SRSOR 1-minute periods were also coincident with operations of the field campaign A Hail Spatial and Temporal Observing Network Effort (HailSTONE) on three separate occasions: 8 May 2014 in south central South Dakota, 10 May 2014 in west central Missouri, and 25 May 2015 in northeastern Kansas. The high spatiotemporal resolution of the hail observations collected by HailSTONE and the high temporal resolution of SRSOR provides a unique opportunity to compare satellite and hail observations on similar scales in severe convective weather environments. High temporal resolution visible and infrared imagery will be evaluated in order to: 1) detect assumed precursors to severe weather such as rapid cloud-top cooling rates, overshooting tops, and above-anvil cirrus plumes; and 2) identify mesoscale details that may have influenced storm initiation and morphology such as boundaries, gravity waves, or orphan anvils from earlier deep convection attempts. These satellite features and observations are then compared to HailSTONE observations, both to draw relationships between these satellite features and the production of severe hail, and to help evaluate the utility of 1-minute temporal resolution SRSOR imagery during severe convective warning operations.