Satellite sector 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-West is pointing mesoscale sector 1 at a point about 120 mi NE of Flagstaff, AZ — to support severe thunderstorm and tornado 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
- 36.3°N, 110.0°W view on map
- Window
- from until
- Reason given
- severe wx ops at WFO Tucson
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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 301626 ADMSDM SENIOR DUTY METEOROLOGIST NWS ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE NWS CENTRAL OPERATIONS COLLEGE PARK MD 1623Z FRI OCT 30 2026 MDS STATUS... GOES-W MDS Sector 1 will be centered over 36.3N/110.0W from 1551Z to 31/1200Z in support of severe wx ops at WFO Tucson. Handel/SDM/NCO