Monitoring snowpack conditions with an interactive geostationary satellite system

The National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) collects and maintains real-time data bases of atmospheric and surface observations in addition to full resolution GOES data with the Centralized Storm Information System (CSIS). These data sets and the analyses derived from these data sets are then combined with topographic, hydrologic and/or geopolitical boundaries to assist hydrologic users as well as the primary severe storm forecasting users. During the 1985 smowmelt season the Satellite Field Services Station (SFSS) began utilizing CSIS capabilities to derive operational digital snowcover maps from 1 km visible GOES data. These maps were derived for 85 United States Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologic catalog units covering 35,000 square kilometers. Optional 1986 services utilizing satellite data include snowcover mapping by elevation zones, solar insoH-tion, and skin temperature over snow covered area. Atmospheric observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction at 5,000, 10,000 and 18,000 feet can be combined with analyzed lapse rates to estimate free atmospheric conditions at specified elevations.