Category Archives: Himawari-8

PyroCbs in southeastern Australia

2.5-miute Rapid Scan JMA Himawari-8 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) and Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (above) showed the formation of 2 small, fairly short-lived pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) clouds spawned by large, hot bushfires in southern New South Wales, Australia on 01 February 2020. The pyroCb clouds developed in advance of an approaching […]

Another pyroCb outbreak in Australia

As Australian bushfires flared up again across far eastern Victoria and far southeastern New South Wales (along and ahead of a cold frontal passage) on 04 January 2020, a JMA Himawari-8 Target Sector was positioned over that region (providing images at 2.5-minute intervals) — “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images displayed the large smoke plumes with […]

Multi-day pyroCb outbreak across southeastern Australia

JMA Himawari-8 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) and Longwave Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (above) showed a large bushfire (dark black to red pixels in the 3.9 µm imagery) in far southeastern Victoria, Australia — which quickly burned its way to the coast and produced 3 distinct pulses of pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) clouds on 29 December 2019. […]

PyroCb in Russia

On 30 April, JMA Himawari-8 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (above) showed the formation of the first known pyroCb of the 2019 Northern Hemisphere wildfire season. The pyroCb developed within the warm sector of an approaching midlatitude cyclone (surface analyses) in the Russian Far East, […]

PyroCbs in Western Australia

Large bushfires burning in the southern portion of the state of Western Australia produced three pyroCb clouds on 01 March 2019. JMA Himawari-8 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) showed that the pyroCb clouds drifted southeastward after formation. Himawari-8 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (below) further revealed the 3 distinct pyroCb pulses — 2 […]

Another pyroCb in Russia

On 15 August 2017 a pyroCb formed in Russia. Himawari-8 detected the smoke plume and pyroCb cloud, as well as the fires hot spots. The pyroCb cloud (~62.8º N, 122.4ºE) formed around 3:10 UTC . Starting at 2:30 UTC on 01 July, the animation below shows Himawari-8 0.63 µm visible (left) and 3.9 µm shortwave IR […]