With a vigorous upper-level system moving east through the Rocky Mountain region during the day Sunday, strong winds mixing down to the surface kicked up dust across a very dry southern Colorado. This dust was captured in GOES-16 visible imagery (Fig 1), and confirmed in split window difference (SWD) imagery (Fig 2). Negative values of SWD (very dark gray to black in this color table), indicate lofted dust. Overlaid on the SWD imagery is 10.35 um IR imagery (non gray colors) for cold temperatures (clouds).

Figure 1: 4 March 2018 GOES-16 1-min visible satellite imagery. Full res

Figure 2: 4 March 2018 GOES-16 5-min split window difference imagery with 10.35 um IR imagery overlaid for cold temperatures (clouds). Full res

Water vapor imagery showed the system as it advanced east through the afternoon and early evening, including the acceleration of a cold front down the eastern Colorado plains (Fig 3).

Figure 3: 4 March 2018 15-min GOES-16 6.19 um water vapor imagery. Full res

Bill Line,  NWS