The real-time weather data gathered by GOES satellites -- combined with data from Doppler radars, other surface observing systems, ships and buoys and even airplanes -- provides the backbone for all daily weather forecasts, including localized tornado watches and large-scale hurricane predictions.

"GOES satellites help our forecasters to see both the big picture and small-scale storm features," says Jack Kelly, director of the National Weather Service. "Since they are designed to be stationary, GOES satellites act as steady eyes on the ever-changing weather and climate."

Two GOES satellites hover in geostationary orbit 22,300 miles over the equator. NOAA GOES 10, launched on April 25, 1997, watches the West Coast and out into the Pacific to Hawaii. NOAA GOES 8, launched in April 1994, keeps an eye the East Coast out into the Atlantic Ocean.

By feeding GOES data into a computer, researchers can produce 3-D images that help forecasters better visualize a storm.

NOAA's Allan Eustis, who works at the Visualization Laboratory, explained how the images are produced:

"Remote sensors called 'infrared radiometers' on board weather satellites detect cloud top temperatures," Eustis said. "This information, transmitted to Earth, can be transformed into three-dimensional cloud imagery because meteorologists know that different cloud top temperature measurements are associated with the various height and thickness of clouds below. Thus a computer can 'stretch' the cloud top information into 3-D imagery and transpose the resultant clouds onto a 3-D map projection."