U.S. Astronaut Christina Koch, currently stationed on the International Space Station, captured this image of Tropical Storm Barry as it bears down on Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and the panhandle of Florida and it makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico.
Credit: NASA/Christina Koch
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed that Tropical Storm Barry formed in the Gulf of Mexico today, July 11 at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC). NASA’s Aqua satellite provided a view of the storm’s clouds and temperatures as Barry continued consolidating.
On July 11, 2019 at 3:29 p.m. EDT (0729 UTC) the AIRS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite analyzed cloud top temperatures in infrared light in what was at the time, Potential Tropical Cyclone 2. AIRS found coldest cloud top temperatures (purple) of strongest thunderstorms were as cold as or colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). Cloud tops that cold can produce heavy rainfall and the NHC said dangerous storm surge, heavy rains, and wind conditions are expected across the north-central Gulf Coast from Barry.
The image also showed the storm had become better defined and bands of thunderstorms were wrapping around the low-level center.
For updates from the National Hurricane Center visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov
Credit: NASA JPL/Heidar Thrastarson
NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over the Gulf of Mexico and took the temperature of Potential Tropical Cyclone 2 as it moved westward through the Gulf of Mexico. NASA found the very cold cloud tops indicating the storm had potential for dropping heavy rain.
Infrared light enables NASA to take the temperatures of clouds and thunderstorms that make up tropical cyclones. The stronger the storms are indicate that they extend high into the troposphere and have cold cloud top temperatures.
An infrared look by NASA’s Aqua satellite on July 10, 2019 at 3:23 p.m. EDT (1923 UTC) revealed where the strongest storms were located within Potential Tropical Cyclone 2. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite analyzed cloud top temperatures and found cloud top temperatures of strongest thunderstorms as cold as or colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius) circling the center (which is still not well-defined) and in thunderstorms northwest of the center, extending over southern Louisiana. Cloud top temperatures that cold indicate strong storms that have the capability to create heavy rain.
On July 10, the National Weather Service Office in New Orleans reported the official rainfall in New Orleans at more than 7 inches, which fell over six hours on the morning of July 10.
On July 11 at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) continued to post warnings and watches for the Gulf coast states. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from the mouth of the Pearl River to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. A Hurricane Watch is in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Cameron, and a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River northward to the mouth of the Pearl River.
At 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC), the NHC said the disturbance was centered near latitude
27.6 degrees north and longitude 88.5 degrees west. That puts the center of circulation about 115 miles (185 km) south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Reports from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and the disturbance is forecast to become a tropical depression or a tropical storm later today, and could become a hurricane by late Friday.
NHC noted that the associated thunderstorm activity is gradually becoming better organized, and the disturbance is expected to become a tropical depression or a tropical storm later today or Friday. The chance that the system will become a tropical storm through 48 hours is high at 100 percent.
The system is moving toward the west near 5 mph (7 kph), but the NHC forecasters said a west-northwest motion is expected on Friday, July 12, followed by a northwestward track by early Saturday. On the forecast track, the system is expected to approach the Louisiana coast this weekend.
For updated forecasts, visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov
A massive complex of thunderstorms over the southeastern United States slid into the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and now has the potential to develop into a tropical cyclone. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center or NHC in Miami, Florida issued the first advisory of Potential Tropical Cyclone Two and NOAA’s GOES-East satellite and NASA’s GPM satellite provided views of the storm.
On July 10 at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), NOAA’s GOES-East satellite provided a visible image of the developing storm. The NHC said, “High-resolution satellite imagery along with surface and upper-air data indicate that the broad low pressure system located over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico has become a little better defined.”
The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed over the developing area of low pressure early on July 10 and found rain was falling at a rate of more than 50 mm (about 2 inches) per hour. Forecasters at the NHC said that the system has the potential to produce very heavy rainfall along and inland of the central Gulf Coast through early next week. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.
NHC noted, “A tropical cyclone is expected to form by Thursday [July 11] over the north-central Gulf of Mexico. At 2 p.m. EDT on July 10, NHC reported that heavy rains and flooding were already occurring over portions of southeastern Louisiana.
Because this developing area of low pressure has the potential to bring tropical storm conditions and storm surge to portions of the coast of Louisiana by late Thursday or Friday, the NHC initiated Potential Tropical Cyclone advisories. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from the mouth of the Pearl River to Morgan City, Louisiana and a Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Morgan City.
At 2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC), the disturbance was centered near latitude 28.3 degrees north and longitude 86.7 degrees west. That’s about 155 miles (250 km) east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The system is moving toward the west-southwest near 8 mph (13 kph). On the forecast track, the system is expected to approach the central U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend.
Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 kph) with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast during the next 72 hours, and the disturbance is forecast to become a tropical depression Thursday morning, a tropical storm Thursday night, and a hurricane on Friday, July 12. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1011 millibars. The chance the system will develop into a tropical depression in the next 48 hours is near 100 percent.
Residents along the Gulf need to heed the warnings issued by the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service local offices. Already, Flash Flood Watches and Warnings were in effect today in southern Louisiana including New Orleans.
Dangerous storm surge is possible in portions of southeast Louisiana and the risk for dangerous storm surge impacts also exists farther west along the Louisiana coast into the Upper Texas coast. The National Weather Service Office in New Orleans issued a local statement today that also urged residents to prepare for dangerous rainfall flooding having possible significant impacts across extreme southeast Louisiana and coastal Mississippi.
For forecast updates on the system, visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov.
Tropical Storm Cosme formed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean over the weekend of July 6 and 7 and after two days, the storm already weakened to a remnant low pressure area. NASA’s Aqua satellite found the storm devoid of strong thunderstorms and appeared as a wispy ring of clouds.
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on Saturday, July 6, Tropical Storm Cosme formed near latitude 15.6 degrees north and longitude 115.7 degrees west. That is about 630 miles (1,015 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.
On July 8 at 6:15 a.m. EDT (1015 UTC), NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over the Cosme from space. The storm appeared to have a circulation of wispy high clouds. Five hours later, the low pressure area was devoid of precipitation and the National Hurricane Center noted, “Cosme has degenerated into a large swirl of mostly cold-air stratocumulus clouds.”
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Cosme was located near latitude 20.5 North, longitude 120.7 West. Cosme reached its peak later on the day it formed when maximum sustained winds topped out at 50 mph (85 kph) around 5 p.m. EDT. Since then, Cosme was on a weakening trend.
The update on July 8 at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) was the last public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on Cosme. Cosme degenerated into a post-tropical remnant low pressure area. At that time, Cosme was located about 710 miles (1,140 km) west of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. The National Hurricane Center noted that the post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the northwest near 8 mph (13 kph) and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days with a decrease in forward speed. Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 kph) with higher gusts.
Weakening is expected during the next 48 hours, and the remnant low pressure area is forecast to dissipate by Wednesday, July 10.
By Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Hurricane Barbara continued to track west through the Eastern Pacific Ocean when NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite passed overhead on July 4. Satellite imagery revealed clouds filling into Barbara’s eye as wind shear continued to weaken the storm and push the bulk of its clouds north of the center.
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP provided a visible image of the storm. The VIIRS image and microwave satellite imagery indicates that Barbara is being torn apart by winds outside or around the storm. In general, wind shear is a measure of how the speed and direction of winds change with altitude. The National Hurricane Center noted that the eyewall structure appears to be disintegrating and the low-level center is located to the south of the remaining strong thunderstorms.
There are several factors weakening the once Category 4 hurricane: increasing southwesterly wind shear, dry air moving into the storm and sapping the moisture and energy, and cooler sea surface temperatures that lay ahead of the storm as it continues moving west.
At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on July 5, NOAA’s National Hurricane Center said the eye of Hurricane Barbara was located near latitude 17.7 degrees north and longitude 132.6 degrees west. That puts the eye about 1,475 miles (2,375 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii. Barbara is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph (19 kph). The forecast calls for a gradual turn toward the west through Saturday, July 6. The estimated minimum central pressure is 980 millibars (28.94 inches).
Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 80 mph (130 kph) with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles (240 km).
Barbara is on a weakening trend. 24 hours earlier the storm had maximum sustained winds near 120 mph (195 kph). Forecasters expect additional rapid weakening and Barbara is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone late on July 6.
For updated forecasts on Barbara, visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov
Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed over the storm and measured the rate in which rain was falling throughout it.
The GPM core satellite passed over Hurricane Barbara at 3:21 a.m. EDT (0721 UTC) on July 3, 2019. GPM found the heaviest rainfall rates were occurring around the eye. There, rain was falling at a rate of more than 50 mm (2 inches) per hour. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.
NOAA’s National Hurricane Center noted at 4 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Barbara was located near latitude 13.5 degrees North and longitude 125.6 degrees West. Barbara is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph (22 kph).
Barbara is about 1,995 miles (3,210 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii. A motion toward the west-northwest or northwest, but at a slightly slower forward speed, is expected Wednesday through Friday.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 155 mph (250 kph) with higher gusts. Barbara is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Gradual weakening is expected on Wednesday, followed by faster weakening on Thursday and Friday. Barbara is forecast to weaken to a tropical storm some time on Friday.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km). The estimated minimum central pressure is 933 mb (27.55 inches).
For forecast updates on Barbara, visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov.
NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites passed over the Eastern Pacific Ocean after Tropical Storm Barbara strengthened into the first hurricane of the season. Barbara intensified rapidly into a major hurricane.
NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted that Barbara intensified early during the morning of July 2 and could strengthen a little more. Fortunately, Barbara is over 1,000 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California, and there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
On July 2, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Terra satellite provided a visible image of Barbara that showed powerful thunderstorms circling an eye. Bands of thunderstorms wrapped into the center from the southern and eastern quadrants.
An infrared look by NASA’s Aqua satellite on July 2, at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 UTC revealed where the strongest storms were located within Hurricane Barbara. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite analyzed cloud top temperatures and found cloud top temperatures of strongest thunderstorms as cold as or colder than minus 81.6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 63.1 degrees Celsius) circling the eye, which was seen in a lighter color in a false-colored NASA image. Cloud top temperatures that cold indicate strong storms that have the capability to create heavy rain.
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the NHC noted the eye of Hurricane Barbara was located near latitude 12.5 degrees north and longitude 122.2 degrees west. Barbara is about 1,080 miles or 1,740 km southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Barbara is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph (22 kph). Barbara is forecast to slow in forward speed later today and then turn toward the northwest in a day or two. The estimated minimum central pressure is 948 millibars (28.00 inches).
Satellite data indicate that the maximum sustained winds have increased to near 130 mph (215 kph) with higher gusts. Barbara is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km).
Some additional strengthening is possible today, but weakening is likely to begin on Wednesday and continue into Thursday.
For updated forecasts, visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov
Visible imagery from NASA’s Aqua satellite showed Tropical Cyclone 04W had been torn apart from wind shear in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.
On Saturday, June 29, Tropical Storm 04W developed east of the Philippines and was moving toward the northwest. 04W formed near 15.3 north latitude and 130.7 east longitude, about 564 miles east of Manila, Philippines. At that time, 04W had maximum sustained winds near 35 knots (40 mph)
The next day, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued their final bulletin on 04W. This short-lived storm weakened to a depression just over 24 hours from its development. Although it moved close enough to the Philippines to get the local name of Egay, and to trigger a tropical cyclone warning signal #1 for the Batanes province in Luzon, 04W weakened to a depression by 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on June 30.
At the time of the final warning, 04W was located near 18.4 north latitude and 126.6 east longitude, about 395 nautical miles northeast of Manila, Philippines.
Northeasterly vertical wind shear was tearing the storm apart. In general, wind shear is a measure of how the speed and direction of winds change with altitude. Tropical cyclones are like rotating cylinders of winds. Each level needs to be stacked on top each other vertically in order for the storm to maintain strength or intensify. Wind shear occurs when winds at different levels of the atmosphere push against the rotating cylinder of winds, weakening the rotation by pushing it apart at different levels.
On July 1 at 12:40 a.m. EDT (4:40 p.m. EDT), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite provided a visible image of 04W’s remnants. Clouds associated with the former tropical storm appeared fragmented between Luzon, the northern Philippines, and Taiwan. Satellite imagery showed the low level circulation had unraveled into a broad, weak circulation.
The remnants are expected to continue moving northwest and dissipate.
Tropical Storm Barbara formed on Sunday, June 30 in the Eastern Pacific Ocean over 800 miles from the coast of western Mexico. The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed over the storm and measured the rate in which rain was falling throughout it.
Barbara formed as a tropical storm around 11 a.m. EDT (1500) on June 30, and slowly intensified.
The GPM core satellite passed over Tropical Storm Barbara at 3:31 a.m. EDT (0731 UTC) on July 1, 2019. GPM found the heaviest rainfall rates were occurring northeast of the center of circulation. There, rain was falling at a rate of 41 mm (about 1.6 inches) per hour. The rainfall in that area are part of a band of thunderstorms wrapping into the low-level center, and there were a couple of other areas in that same band with the same rainfall rate. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.
NOAA’s National Hurricane Center noted at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on July 1, the center of Tropical Storm Barbara was located near latitude 11.2 degrees north, longitude 115.8 degrees west. That’s about 895 miles (1,445 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Barbara is moving toward the west near 21 mph (33 kph). A westward to west-northwestward motion at a slower forward speed is expected over the next few days. The estimated minimum central pressure is 998 millibars (29.47 inches). Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 65 mph (100 kph) with higher gusts.
Additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Barbara is expected to become a hurricane later today.
For forecast updates on Barbara, visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov.
