Using The Next-Generation Geostationary Environmental Satellite System in Operational Meteorology

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R series (GOES-R) will provide significant advances in atmospheric observing capabilities to the meteorological community. The new 16-channel imager will provide 3 times more spectral information, 4 times the spatial coverage, and 5 times the temporal resolution compared to the current imager. In addition, the geostationary lightning mapper will provide continuous and near-uniform real-time surveillance of total lightning activity throughout the Americas and adjacent oceans encompassing much of the Western Hemisphere. Since 2008, the GOES-R Proving Ground has been preparing the user communities for these advances by providing pre-operational products that use current GOES data, higher resolution data provided by polar-orbiting satellites, and model simulated satellite data. Three threats important for operational meteorologists that GOES-R baseline and future capability products will help detect are convection, heavy precipitation, and fog and low stratus. This presentation will provide an overview of what to expect with GOES-R imagery, case studies using GOES-R demonstration products, and how broadcast meteorologists can use these tools prior to the launch of GOES-R.