NOAA satellite captures dramatic hurricane lightning footage
- NOAA's GOES-19 satellite, equipped with a Geostationary Lightning Mapper, began monitoring hurricanes Helene and Milton in September 2024.
- Images captured displayed significant lightning activity and divergent storm formation processes, with Helene impacting six states and Milton evolving into a Category 5 hurricane.
- The preliminary data from GOES-19 is crucial for enhancing storm analysis and prediction models, with full operations expected in April 2025.
In September 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released initial imagery from its new weather satellite, GOES-19, which was launched in June aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. This satellite includes a Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) that tracks all forms of lightning, providing crucial data during the occurrences of hurricanes Helene and Milton. GOES-19 enabled NOAA and NASA to observe the different formation processes of these storms with unprecedented accuracy, highlighting the storms' unique characteristics. Hurricane Helene rapidly formed from several thunderstorms, striking six states within two days. Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton intensified into a Category 5 storm, demonstrating intense lightning activity in its core. The data from GOES-19 is expected to significantly enhance future storm analysis models and assist in aviation safety, particularly over ocean areas with limited radar access. As the satellite enters the full operational phase expected by April 2025, it will replace GOES-16 in monitoring various severe weather events including wildfires and floods. Looking forward, NOAA plans to launch the more advanced GeoXO satellite system in the early 2030s, which will offer even more detailed weather tracking capabilities.