GOES-16 Red Visible (0.64 µm) images from 1501-2201 UTC on 12th December, with plots of 15-minute METAR surface reports (cyan). Interstate Highways are plotted in dotted violet. [click to play MP4 animation]

GOES-16 (GOES-East) Red Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) revealed the development of Horizontal Convective Roll (HCR) clouds — a signature often associated with blowing snow — across parts of eastern North Dakota western Minnesota on 12th January 2025. Strong northwesterly winds in the wake of an arctic cold front were gusting to 25-30 knots at several locations, with blowing snow restricting the surface visibility to 1 mile or less at times.

Blowing Snow RGB images from GOES-19 (Preliminary/Non-operational) — created using Geo2Grid — provided a more detailed view of the widespread HCR clouds (below). Existing snow cover appeared as darker shades of red in the RGB imagery, while bare ground appeared as brighter shades of green; supercooled water droplet clouds appeared as brighter shades of white.

GOES-19 (Preliminary/Non-operational) Blowing Snow RGB images, from 1501-2201 UTC on 12th December [click to play animated GIF]

Note the formation of a mesovortex along the trailing edge of the clouds over far northeastern South Dakota, which began to dissipate as it moved across southwestern Minnesota.

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