The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed over Tropical Storm Kong-Rey and analyzed the rates in which rain was falling throughout the storm.
The GPM or Global Precipitation Measurement mission core observatory satellite passed above Kong-Rey on Oct. 5. GPM indicated that rain was falling at over 1.8 inches (45.7 mm) per hour within two areas of storms northwest of Kong-Rey’s center. Credit: NASA/JAXA/NRL
At the time GPM passed overhead, GPM’s Microwave Imager (GMI) instruments collected data that revealed moderate convective rainfall northwest of Kong-Rey’s center. GPM indicated that rain was falling at over 1.8 inches (45.7 mm) per hour within two areas of storms northwest of Kong-Rey’s center.
At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on Friday, Oct. 5, the center of Tropical Storm Kong-Rey was located near 29.6 degrees north latitude and 125.9 degrees west longitude. Kong-Rey is about 211 nautical miles north-northwest of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Island, Japan. Maximum sustained winds are near 63 mph (55 knots/102 kph) with higher gusts.
Kong-Rey is moving toward the north. A turn toward the northeast is expected to take the storm into the Sea of Japan. The storm is now weakening, and will become extra-tropical over northern Japan.
Hurricane Sergio continued to look impressive on satellite imagery when NOAA’s GOES-West satellite viewed the storm in infrared light.
NOAA’s GOES-West satellite provided a night-time view of powerful Hurricane Sergio on Oct. 5 at 6:01 a.m. PDT (9:01 a.m. EDT/1301 UTC) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Sergio had a clear eye with powerful thunderstorms circling the center. Credit: NOAA/NRL
NOAA’s GOES-West satellite sits at a fixed position in orbit and covers the western U.S. and the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean. GOES satellites circle the Earth in a geosynchronous orbit, which means they orbit the equatorial plane of the Earth at a speed matching the Earth’s rotation. This allows them to hover continuously over one position on the surface. NOAA’s GOES-West satellite provided a night-time view of powerful Hurricane Sergio on Oct. 5 at 6:01 a.m. PDT (9:01 a.m. EDT/1301 UTC) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The imagery showed that Sergio had a clear eye with powerful thunderstorms circling the center.
At 2 a.m. PDT (5 a.m. EDT/0900 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Sergio was located near latitude 16.0 degrees north and longitude 121.2 degrees west. Sergio is moving toward the west-northwest near 8 mph (13 kph). A turn toward the west and west-southwest at a similar speed is expected during the next 24 hours. Sergio should then turn back to the west and northwest over the weekend. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 120 mph (195 kph) with higher gusts. Sergio is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Additional gradual weakening is forecast during the next several days, but Sergio is expected to remain a hurricane through the middle of next week.
NOAA manages the GOES series of satellites and the NASA/NOAA GOES Project at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is responsible for building and launching the GOES satellites.
NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over the Central Atlantic Ocean and obtained infrared data on Leslie, now weakened to a large tropical storm.
The National Hurricane Center or NHC said that Leslie remains a large tropical storm, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 290 miles (465 km) from the center. Because of the size and strength of Tropical Storm Leslie, waves from Leslie are expected to increase along the coasts of Atlantic Canada and New England today, Oct. 5.
At 1:40 a.m. EDT (0540 UTC) on Oct. 5, the MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite revealed strongest storms with the coldest cloud top temperatures (yellow) northwest of Leslie’s center with temperatures near minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). Credit: NASA/NRL
At 1:40 a.m. EDT (0540 UTC) on Oct. 5, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite revealed strongest storms with the coldest cloud top temperatures northwest of Leslie’s center. MODIS found coldest cloud tops had temperatures near minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). NASA research has found that cloud top temperatures that cold have the capability to generate heavy rainfall.
At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Leslie was located near 35.9 degrees north latitude and 58.3 degrees west longitude. Leslie is moving toward the north-northwest near 14 mph (22 kph). A slower northward motion is expected to occur today, but Leslie will make a sharp turn toward the east and east-southeast over the weekend.
Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph (100 kph) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next several days.
NHC cautioned, “Large swells generated by Leslie will continue to affect portions of the southeastern coast of the United States, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles during the next few days. Swells are expected to increase near the coasts of New England and Atlantic Canada today.”
Oct. 04, 2018 – NASA Puts Together a Composite of Tropical Storm Kong-Rey
NASA’s IMERG combines data from many satellites to provide a look at rainfall occurring around the world. Those rainfall data were combined with visible imagery from NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite to create a composite or fuller picture of Kong- Rey in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean as it weakened to a tropical storm.
NASA’s IMERG and NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite imagery were combined to create a picture of the extent and rainfall of Tropical Storm Kong-Rey. IMERG found heavy rain falling (red) around the center and northwest of the center on Oct. 3, 2018. Credit: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) /NOAA/JAXA
The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite provided a look at distribution of rainfall within Kong-Rey. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. GPM found heaviest rain falling around the center and northwest of the center on Oct. 4, 2018.
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible light image that showed the western quadrant of Kong-Rey just east of Taiwan on Oct. 4.
The Status of Kong-Rey
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on Oct. 4, 2018, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center downgraded Kong-Rey from a typhoon to a tropical storm as maximum sustained winds dropped to 60 knots (69 mph/111 kph). Kong-Rey was centered near 26.1 degrees north latitude and 126.5 degrees east longitude. That’s approximately 88 nautical miles southwest of Kadena Air Base and has tracked north-northwestward.
Kong-Rey is forecast to turn to the north then northeast, and move into the Sea of Japan. The storm is now weakening, and will become extra-tropical over northern Japan.
About IMERG
NASA’s GPM or Global Precipitation Measurement mission satellite provides information on precipitation from its orbit in space. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency or JAXA. GPM also utilizes a constellation of other satellites to provide a global analysis of precipitation that are used in the IMERG calculation.
At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, those data are incorporated into NASA’s IMERG or Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM. IMERG is used to estimate precipitation from a combination of passive microwave sensors, including the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission’s core satellite’s GMI microwave sensor and geostationary infrared data. IMERG real-time data are generated by NASA’s Precipitation Processing System every half hour and are normally available within six hours.
Oct. 04, 2018 – NASA Sees Hurricane Walaka Battering Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument
NASA’s Terra satellite analyzed Hurricane Walaka in infrared light as continued to lash the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Central Pacific Ocean.
NASA’s Terra satellite observed Hurricane Walaka in the Central Pacific Ocean on Oct. 4 at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 UTC). Infrared light that revealed cloud top temperatures were coldest (red) as cold as minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius). Credit: NASA/NRL
NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center or CPHC said a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument from Nihoa to French Frigate Shoals to Maro Reef.
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is the largest contiguous fully protected conservation area under the U.S. flag, and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world, according to the monument’s website. It encompasses 582,578 square miles of the Pacific Ocean (1,508,870 square kilometers) – an area larger than all the country’s national parks combined. The name Papahānaumokuākea commemorates the union of two Hawaiian ancestors – Papahānaumoku and Wākea – who gave rise to the Hawaiian Archipelago, the taro plant, and the Hawaiian people.
On Oct. 4 at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 UTC) the MODIS instrument or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard NASA’s Terra satellite observed Hurricane Walaka and found powerful thunderstorms around the center of circulation. Infrared light that revealed cloud top temperatures were coldest as cold as minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius). NASA research has shown that storms with cloud tops that high in the troposphere and that cold have the capability to generate heavy rain.
At 5 a.m. HST (11 a.m. EDT/1500 UTC), the center of Hurricane Walaka was located near latitude 26.8 degrees north and longitude 166.5 degrees west. That’s about 200 miles (325 km) north of the French Frigate Shoals.
Walaka is moving toward the north near 20 mph (31 kph). It is expected to slow its forward speed and turn toward the north-northwest later today and tonight. From Friday through early Saturday morning, Walaka is forecast to move toward the north-northeast at a faster forward speed. Maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph (175 kph) with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is expected to continue during the next couple of days, but Walaka is forecast to remain a hurricane through early Friday morning.
NOAA’s CPHC noted “Large surf generated by the broad wind field associated with Walaka will continue to impact most of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument today.”
Oct. 04, 2018 – NASA Takes Powerful Hurricane Sergio’s Temperature
Infrared light provides scientists with temperature data and that’s important when trying to understand the strength of storms. NASA’s Aqua satellite provided those cloud top temperatures of Category 4 Hurricane Sergio in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The AIRS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over Hurricane Sergio on Oct. 3 at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 UTC) and analyzed the storm in infrared light. AIRS detected strongest storms (purple) around the eye where cloud top temperatures were as cold as or colder than 207 Kelvin (minus 87 degrees Fahrenheit/minus 66.1 degrees Celsius). Credit: NASA JPL, Heidar Thrastarson
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over Hurricane Sergio on Oct. 3 at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 UTC) and analyzed the storm in infrared light. The higher the cloud tops, the colder and the stronger the storms. Infrared light as that gathered by the AIRS instrument can identify the strongest sides of a tropical cyclone.
AIRS temperature data showed Sergio had intensified that morning, with the eye becoming better defined while embedded in very cold cloud tops. AIRS detected those very cold cloud tops were as cold as or colder than 207 Kelvin (minus 87 degrees Fahrenheit/minus 66.1 degrees Celsius). Storms with cloud top temperatures that cold have the capability to produce heavy rainfall.
At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on Thursday, Oct. 4 the National Hurricane Center or NHC noted “Sergio’s intensity is estimated to have increased just a little more this morning, and it remains a powerful category 4 hurricane.”
The eye of Hurricane Sergio was located near latitude 14.4 degrees north, longitude 118.8 degrees west. That’s about 825 miles (1,330 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Sergio was moving toward the northwest near 8 mph (13 km/h), and this motion is expected to continue today. A turn toward the west-northwest and west at a slightly slower forward speed is expected Friday and Saturday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph (220 kph) with higher gusts. Sergio is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
NHC noted “Little change in strength is expected during the next day or so, but gradual weakening is forecast to begin on Friday, [Oct. 5].”
When Tropical Storm Leslie strengthened into a hurricane, the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed overhead and analyzed the rates in which rain was falling throughout the stronger storm.
The GPM or Global Precipitation Measurement mission core observatory satellite passed above Hurricane Leslie on Oct. 3, 2018 at 7:33 a.m. EDT (1133 UTC) and found rain was falling at over 1.8 inches (45.7 mm) per hour within storms located in the northwestern side of the Leslie’s eye wall. Credit: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce
Although Leslie is in the Central Atlantic Ocean, it’s strong enough to generate dangerous ocean swells that will continue to affect portions of the southeastern coast of the United States, Bermuda, and the Bahamas during the next few days. Swells are expected to increase near the coasts of New England and Atlantic Canada by the end of the week.
The GPM core observatory satellite passed above Hurricane Leslie on Oct. 3, 2018 at 7:33 a.m. EDT (1133 UTC). GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency or JAXA.
At the time GPM passed overhead, Leslie had just been upgraded to a hurricane by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). GPM’s Microwave Imager (GMI) instruments collected data that revealed light to moderate convective rainfall in Leslie’s clearly evident eye wall. Very little precipitation was shown by GPM in the center of the hurricane’s nearly circular eye. Algorithms developed by NASA’s Precipitation Measurement Missions (PMM) science team indicated that rain was falling at over 1.8 inches (45.7 mm) per hour within storms located in the northwestern side of the Leslie’s eye wall.
The GPM or Global Precipitation Measurement mission core observatory satellite passed above Hurricane Leslie on Oct. 3, 2018 at 7:33 a.m. EDT (1133 UTC) and found rain was falling at over 1.8 inches (45.7 mm) per hour within storms located in the northwestern side of the Leslie’s eye wall. Credit: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce
At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. a 3D animation of the storm was created that showed the estimated heights of storms within hurricane Leslie at the time of the GPM satellite pass. Storm top heights are based on data observed by GPM’s Dual Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR Ku Band) blended with estimates based on geostationary satellite cloud top temperatures.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), the center of Hurricane Leslie was located near latitude 31.4 degrees north and longitude 57.1 degrees west. That’s 455 miles (735 km) east of Bermuda.
Leslie is moving toward the north near 8 mph (13 kph), and this motion with an increase in forward speed is expected through tonight. A reduction in speed is forecast on Friday and Friday night, with Leslie accelerating toward the east or east-southeast over the weekend. Maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph (130 kph) with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is forecast during the next several days.
Oct. 03, 2018 – NASA Gets a Look at the Rainfall Rates within Typhoon Kong-Rey
The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed over Typhoon Kong-Rey moving through the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and found heaviest rainfall occurring in the storm’s eyewall.
The GPM core observatory satellite passed over Typhoon Kong-Rey on Oct. 3 at 4:36 a.m. EDT (0836 UTC) and measured rainfall within. Heaviest rainfall was occurring in the northeastern eyewall at a rate greater than 1.4 inches per hour. GPM data was overlaid on Japan’s Himawari-8 satellite infrared imagery. Credit: NASA/JAXA/NRL
The eyewall of a tropical cyclone refers to the powerful thunderstorms that form a ring around the open eye. In the eye, air descends and prevents cloud formation. Around the eye, strong uplift of air creates powerful thunderstorms that extend high into the troposphere.
The GPM core observatory satellite passed over Typhoon Kong-Rey on Oct. 3 at 4:36 a.m. EDT (0836 UTC) and measured rainfall rates occurring within the storm. Data collected by the GPM satellite’s Microwave Imager (GMI) showed that powerful storms in the northeastern eyewall were producing the heaviest rainfall. Those storms were producing rainfall at a rate greater than 1.4 inches per hour. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center or JTWC noted “animated enhanced infrared satellite imagery shows that convection has continued to rapidly weaken. The eye feature is now only 5 nautical miles wide and continues to erode.”
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) the center of Kong-Rey was located near 22.0 degrees north latitude and 128.4 degrees east longitude. That’s about 298 nautical miles south of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Island, Japan. Kong-Rey was moving toward the north-northwest. Maximum sustained winds remain near 115 mph (185 kph/100 knots).
JTWC forecasts Kong-Rey to continue moving north-northwest over the next couple of days, and its center will remain west of Okinawa and Amami Oshima. Kong-Rey is forecast to turn northeast and move into the Sea of Japan on Oct. 6.
Oct. 03, 2018 – NASA Peers into the Large Clear Eye of Hurricane Walaka
An infrared look by NASA’s Terra satellite found a ring of intense storms around the wide eye of Hurricane Walaka in the Central Pacific Ocean. Walaka remains a dangerous category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
On Oct. 3 at 5:45 a.m. EDT (0945 UTC) NASA’s Terra satellite found coldest temperatures of strongest thunderstorms (yellow) in Hurricane Walaka were as cold as or colder than minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 Celsius) in the eyewall of the large, clear eye. Credit: NRL/NASA
NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center or CPHC cautioned on Oct. 3, “dangerous Hurricane Walaka is intensifying as it moves rapidly north toward the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument and the Johnston Stoll remains in the south quadrant of Walaka.”
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Johnston Atoll, the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument from French Frigate and Shoals to Maro Reef. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument from Nihoa to French and Frigate Shoals.
On Oct. 3 at 5:45 a.m. EDT (0945 UTC) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Terra satellite analyzed cloud top temperatures in infrared light. MODIS found cloud top temperatures of strongest thunderstorms ringed around the wide eye. Those temperatures were as cold as or colder than minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 degrees Celsius). They were embedded in a large area that circled the eye where cloud top temperatures were as cold as or colder than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius). Cloud top temperatures that cold indicate strong storms that have the capability to create heavy rain.
CPHC noted at 2 a.m. HST (8 a.m. EDT/1200 UTC), the center of Hurricane Walaka was located near latitude 18.9 degrees north and longitude 169.8 degrees west. That’s about 150 miles (240 km) north of Johnston Island.
Walaka is moving toward the north near 14 mph (23 kph), and it is expected to turn toward the north-northeast with a faster forward motion later today and tonight. Maximum sustained winds are now near 140 mph (225 kph) with higher gusts. Some gradual weakening is possible starting from today or tonight through Thursday, but Walaka is forecast to remain a powerful hurricane when it crosses the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument tonight.
CPHC said, “Walaka is forecast to turn toward the north with a slower forward speed starting Thursday. On this forecast track, the center of Walaka will likely reach the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument tonight.”
Oct. 03, 2018 – NASA Sees Powerful Storms Circling Major Hurricane Sergio’s Eye
Very powerful storms ringed the eye of Hurricane Sergio in infrared imagery from NASA’s Aqua satellite. Sergio is a major hurricane in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
At 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 UTC) on Oct. 3, the MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite gathered infrared data on Hurricane Sergio. Strongest thunderstorms circled the center where cloud top temperatures were as cold as (yellow) minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 Celsius). Credit: NASA/NRL
At 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 UTC) on Oct. 3 the MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite gathered infrared data on Sergio. Infrared data provides temperature information.
Strongest thunderstorms wit coldest cloud tops appeared in the eyewall of the hurricane and extended outward from the center. MODIS found cloud top temperatures as cold as minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 Celsius). NASA research has shown that cloud tops with temperatures that cold were high in the troposphere and have the ability to generate heavy rain.
The National Hurricane Center or NHC noted at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), the center of Hurricane Sergio was located near latitude 12.3 degrees north and longitude 116.7 degrees west. Sergio is moving toward the west-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph). Fortunately, Sergio is far from land areas. It is about 855 miles (1,380 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.
A west-northwestward to northwestward motion at a slightly slower forward speed is expected over the next few days. Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph (185 kph) with higher gusts. Sergio is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Some strengthening is forecast during the next day or so, with weakening expected to begin by Friday.
