Sep. 13, 2018 – NASA-NOAA Satellite Finds Barijat Crossing Gulf of Tonkin
Tropical Cyclone Barijat appeared disorganized on satellite imagery as it moved across the Gulf of Tonkin, South China Sea. The Gulf of Tonkin is a body of water located off the coast of northern Vietnam and southern China. Barijat is being torn apart and had weakened from wind shear. After a landfall on Sept. 13, it is expected to dissipate quickly.
In general, wind shear is a measure of how the speed and direction of winds change with altitude. Winds at different levels of the atmosphere pushed against the cylindrical circulation center and skewed it, weakening the rotation.
Barijat weakened from a tropical storm to a tropical depression today, Sept. 13.
At 1:54 a.m. EDT (0554 UTC) on Sept. 13, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite analyzed Tropical Storm Isaac showed a disorganized storm with little thunderstorm development. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted “Convection (rising air that form the thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone) has all but dissipated and remnant upper level clouds are sheared to the southwest of the low level circulation center.”
On Sept. 13 at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) Barijat’s maximum sustained winds had dropped to 28.7 mph (25 knots/46.3 kph). It was located approximately 129 nautical miles east of Hanoi, Vietnam. Barijat is moving westward and is expected to make landfall in Vietnam where it will dissipate on Sept. 14.
By Rob Gutro
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sep. 12, 2o18 – NASA Sees Tropical Storm Barijat Affecting Southern China
NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite found that as Tropical Storm Barijat was affecting Southern China, wind shear was affecting the storm.
Visible imagery on Sept. 12 at 1:42 a.m. EDT (0542 UTC) from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite showed that Barijat was being affected by northerly vertical wind shear that was pushing the bulk of its clouds southwest of center. In general, wind shear is a measure of how the speed and direction of winds change with altitude. Wind shear can tear a tropical cyclone apart or weaken it.
The latest Tropical Cyclone Warning Bulletin issued by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO).at 1:45 p.m. EDT (01:45 a.m. HKT on Sept. 13) reported that the Strong Wind Signal, No. 3 is in force. That means that winds with mean speeds of 25 to 38 mph (41 to 62 kilometers) per hour are expected.
At 2 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 12, (2 a.m. HKT local time on Sept. 13) Tropical Storm Barijat was estimated to be about 161 miles (260 kilometers) southwest of Hong Kong, near 20.8 degrees north 112.3 degrees east. Barijat is forecast to move west at about 12.4 mph (20 kph) towards the vicinity of Leizhou Peninsula. Maximum sustained winds recorded at Waglan Island were 27.3 mph (44 kph).
HKO noted that Strong Wind Signal, No. 3 will remain in force for some time. Local winds will gradually weaken later today, Sept. 13 local time.
Barijat continues to track westward and move away from Hong Kong and toward Vietnam.
For updated forecasts from HKO, visit: https://www.hko.gov.hk
By Rob Gutro
NASA’ Goddard Space Flight Center
Sep. 11, 2018 – Tropical Storm Barijat Appears Disorganized to NASA-NOAA Satellite
NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite passed over the small Tropical Storm Barijat as it continued moving west toward southern China.
On Sept. 11 at 2:00 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite captured visible image of Tropical Storm Barijat. The image shows a small and disorganized system with flaring and developing thunderstorms that are obscuring the low=level circulation center.
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), on Sept. 11 the center of Barijat was located near latitude 20.5 degrees north and longitude 116.5 degrees west. That’s about 186 nautical miles southeast of Hong Kong. Barijat was moving to the west-southwest. Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph (35 knots/62 kph) with higher gusts.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast noted that only a slight intensification expected because of dry air near the system. After Barijat moves over southern China’s Leizhou Peninsula on Sept. 13, the storm will steadily weaken.
By Rob Gutro
NASA’ Goddard Space Flight Center
Sep. 10, 2018 – NASA Sees Tropical Storm 27W Moving Through Luzon Strait
NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over the Luzon Strait and captured a visible image of the latest tropical storm to form in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm 27W. 27W is expected to be renamed Tropical Storm Barijat.
The Luzon Strait is a body of water located between Taiwan and the Philippines. It is south of Taiwan and north of Luzon, Philippines. Luzon is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines and the northernmost island.
At 1:10 a.m. EDT (0510 UTC) on Sept.10 the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite provided a visible image of Tropical Storm 27W. Satellite imagery shows a small, slowly consolidating system with flaring central convection (developing thunderstorms) and shallow bands of thunderstorms loosely wrapping into an obscured low level circulation.
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on Sept. 10, 27W was located near latitude 21.3 degrees north and longitude 120.4 degrees east. That’s about 225 nautical miles south of Taipei, Taiwan. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph (35 knots/62 kph). 27W is moving toward the west-southwest near 7 mph (6 knots/11 kph).
Tropical Storm 27W is forecast to continue tracking west-southwestward over the next three day and slowly intensify. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that the storm is only expected to peak at 52 mph (45 knots/83 kph) sometime on Sept. 12. Tropical Storm 27W is expected to make landfall on Sept. 13 over the Luichow Peninsula, China and cross it where it will emerge into the Gulf of Tonkin and make a final landfall late on Sept. 13 or early Sept. 14 north of Hanoi, Vietnam.