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 1 over 1.8°S, 78.2°W — 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
- 1.8°S, 78.2°W view on map
- Window
- from until
- Reason given
- an international request for Ecuador for deep convection
GOES-West is pointing mesoscale sector 1 at a point about 620 mi SSE of Mexico City, Mexico — to keep a close eye on a tropical system. 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
- 10.6°N, 97.3°W view on map
- Window
- from until
- Reason given
- tropical wx ops for Invest 94E
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 201647 ADMSDM SENIOR DUTY METEOROLOGIST NWS ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE NWS CENTRAL OPERATIONS COLLEGE PARK MD 1646Z TUE OCT 20 2026 MDS STATUS... GOES-E MDS Sector 1 will be shifted and centered over 1.8S/78.2W from 2000Z to 22/1500Z in support of an international request for Ecuador for deep convection. GOES-W MDS Sector 1 will be centered over 10.6N/97.3W from 1900Z to 21/1800Z in support of tropical wx ops for Invest 94E. Renkevens/SDM/NCO