Extreme High Swell Events on the Moroccan Atlantic Coast

4.0 Case Study 1 » 4.2 Step 1: Assess the Current Atmospheric and Marine Situation » 4.2.1 MSG IR and VIS Imagery

We’ll start the case by looking at MSG satellite imagery from several days before the event.

The IR animation from 4 January at 0000 UTC to 5 January at 2100 UTC shows a large low-pressure system offshore moving to the northeast from Newfoundland to Great Britain. On the Moroccan coast, the weather is fair with just a few low clouds and light winds on 5 January.

The visible images of the Moroccan coastal area from 4 to 7 January at midday show some unstable clouds in the northwestern coastal area on 4 January. But they clear up and the area experiences stable conditions thereafter, with clear skies and morning fog patches in some coastal areas.

4 MSG vis 0.6 micrometer images from midday on jan 4, 5, 6, 7 showing coastal Morocco