GOES-West Mesoscale view - Band 8 at 37°N - 118°W - Inyo County, CA

Band 8 key:

This band shows atmospheric temperatures in Celsius. Values in the red to yellow range represent a dry atmosphere. Values between yellow and white, including blue, represent a relatively moist atmosphere. Values colder than white, including green, represent clouds.

6.2 µm - "Upper-level Water Vapor" Band - 2 km resolution - Band 8 will be used for upper-level tropospheric water vapor tracking, jet stream identification, hurricane track forecasting, mid-latitude storm forecasting, severe weather analysis, upper mid-level moisture estimation (for legacy vertical moisture profiles) and turbulence detection.

The imager features three mid-level water vapor bands instead of the single water vapor band on the GOES-13 Imager. The single water vapor band on GOES-13 contained a mixture of water vapor features over many levels of the troposphere, but GOES-16 enables us to focus on water vapor in the upper troposphere (band 8), the middle troposphere (band 9), or the lower troposphere (band 10). The GOES-13 Imager water vapor channel falls between ABI bands 8 and 9.

• For more details, see the Band 8 - ABI Quick Information Guide, (PDF, 672 KB)