2 satellite sectors moved
Satellite moves MDS STATUS...
Each GOES weather satellite has two “mesoscale sectors” — small, movable windows that the satellite photographs roughly every 60 seconds, far more often than its routine full-disk and continental scans. Forecasters aim them at whatever is most important that day. This section announces where they are being pointed and for how long.
GOES-East is pointing mesoscale sector 2 at a point about 100 mi ENE of Charleston, WV — to support flash flood and heavy rainfall forecasting. That means this patch of sky gets a fresh satellite image about once a minute instead of every 5 to 10 minutes, so forecasters can watch storms develop almost in real time.
- Centre point
- 39.0°N, 80.0°W view on map
- Window
- from until
- Reason given
- excessive rainfall and flash flood ops across the Lower Great Lakes through Central Appalachians
GOES-West is pointing mesoscale sector 1 at a point about 95 mi N of Boise, ID — to support fire weather operations. That means this patch of sky gets a fresh satellite image about once a minute instead of every 5 to 10 minutes, so forecasters can watch storms develop almost in real time.
- Centre point
- 45.0°N, 116.4°W view on map
- Window
- from until
- Reason given
- fire wx ops across the Northwestern U.S
Show the original message
Exactly as NWS transmitted it. Everything above is our plain-English reading of this text — if the two ever disagree, this is the authoritative version.
000 NOUS42 KWNO 021442 ADMSDM SENIOR DUTY METEOROLOGIST NWS ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE NWS CENTRAL OPERATIONS COLLEGE PARK MD 1442Z SUN AUG 02 2026 MDS STATUS... GOES-E MDS Sector 2 will be centered over 39N/80W from 1430Z to 03/0800Z in support of excessive rainfall and flash flood ops across the Lower Great Lakes through Central Appalachians. GOES-W MDS Sector 1 will be centered over 45N/116.4W from 1415Z to 03/1415Z in support of fire wx ops across the Northwestern U.S. Kempisty/SDM/NCO