What's causing these "blooms"?

[D. Hayes]

I'm sitting here looking at the GOES water vapor animations and I see this two blooms sitting down in the gulf. What are these and what causes them?

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/GSSLOOPS/ecwv.html


Thanks!~

 

[Dave Marshall]

Wow those are interesting. The loop makes it look like they're stationary convective systems of some sort that are firing in one location then propagating to the north east. I've seen storms do something like that in Georgia, I believe the term was a "Back Building MCS" but they weren't quite so perfectly localized like that.

If I saw those on the other side of Mexico, I'd be pretty sure it was a pair of big damn forest fires or volcanoes.

 

[rdale]

You're seeing showers and thunderstorm which aren't moving much, but their anvils are moving northeast. Use the IR view to get a better perspective.