These images are particularly useful for observing storms upstream which will be affecting the western U.S in the future. Images in the visible waveband show how the earth would look if you were looking down from the satellite. You won't see very much during the night. In the visible waveband, it is difficult to distinguish between snow cover and cloud cover. The infrared images are really a temperature map of the earth and atmosphere beneath the satellite.
Cold regions appear light gray and warm regions appear dark.
Water vapor images show where the moisture is in the atmosphere. Since the type of weather we have depends on the available moisture, these images are very useful.