If you refer to the first image, it is obvious that we have some cold cloud tops over Minnesota and Wisconsin. However, it wouldn’t be quite obvious where the highest tops exist and which of those are necessarily overshooting tops. The OTD (Overshooting Top Detection) tool helps! By detecting a cloud top that is less than or equal to -6K than its surrounding anvil, the OTD will mark the cloud top (seen by the dark blue marks in the second image). The anvil must also meet a temperature threshold. The anvil must be less than or equal to 225K and the top must be less than or equal to 215K. If these conditions are not met, no overshooting top will be detected. This prevents the tool from being over sensitive and creating false detections.

Jared Maples