Use of VIIRS Imagery by the National Weather Service in Alaska

Satellite imagery is of enhanced importance to National Weather Service forecasters in Alaska, due to other observational systems, such as radar and METARs, suffering from low network density and compromised spatial representativeness. Imagery from the Suomi NPP satellite's VIIRS instrument is of particular utility in Alaska due to the width of the VIIRS' swath, the frequency of imagery due at high latitudes, and the appearance of new products such as the Day-Night Band. Examples of VIIRS products used by the National Weather Service in Alaska in 2012 and 2013 will be presented, including examples from scenarios in which the VIIRS imagery played a role in the forecast and warning process.