Tag: Funani 2019

Feb. 8, 2019 – NASA Looks at Tropical Cyclone Funani’s Rainfall Rates

Tropical Cyclone Funani continued tracking southeast through the Southern Indian Ocean on Feb. 7, 2019. When the GPM satellite passed overhead, it revealed that Funani’s strongest rains wrapped around the center and extended northwest.

The Global Precipitation Measurement mission, or GPM, core satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Funani on Feb. 8. GPM found the heaviest rainfall around the center and a fragmented band of thunderstorms northwest of center. In both areas rain was falling at a rate between 10 and 13 mm (0.4 and 0.5 inches) per hour. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.

At 10 a.m. EST (1500 UTC), the center of Funani was located near latitude 24.4 degrees south and longitude 71.2 degrees west. That’s about 813 nautical miles east-southeast of Port Louis, Mauritius. Maximum sustained winds were near 105 knots (121 mph/195 kph).

Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect Funani will continue to move southeast. The storm will gradually weaken before becoming extra-tropical after a day or so.

Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.  

Feb. 7, 2019 – NASA Finds a Pinhole Eye in Tropical Cyclone Funani

Visible-light imagery from NASA’s Aqua satellite revealed the development of a small eye in Tropical Cyclone Funani as the storm rapidly intensified into a major hurricane in the Southern Indian Ocean.

On Feb. 7, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Funani. The visible image revealed a pinhole eye surrounded by a thick ring of powerful thunderstorms.

At 10 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on Feb. 7, Funani was located near 19.9 degrees south latitude and 66.7 east longitude, approximately 530 nautical miles east of Port Louis, Mauritius. Funani was moving to south-southeast. Maximum sustained winds were near 115 knots (132 mph/213 kph). Funani is now a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect Funani to strengthen slightly more and then begin a weakening trend on its trek to the south-southeast.

Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Feb. 6, 2019 – NASA Looks at Tropical Storm Funani’s Rainfall

Tropical Storm Funani (formerly classified as 12S) continued to affect Rodrigues Island in the South Pacific Ocean when the GPM satellite passed overhead and analyzed its rainfall.

On Feb. 6, a tropical cyclone warning class 2 is in force at Rodrigues, with cyclonic conditions starting to occur from late evening (local time).

The Global Precipitation Measurement mission, or GPM, Core Satellite passed over Tropical Storm Funani at 7:51 a.m. EDT (1251 UTC). GPM found the heaviest rainfall was southwest of the center of circulation. There, rain was falling at a rate of 1.2 inches per hour. Other areas of heavy rainfall were occurring in fragmented bands of thunderstorms east of the center. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Cyclone Funani was located near latitude 17.5 degrees south and longitude 64.4 degrees east. That’s about 432 nautical miles east-northeast of Port Louis, Mauritius. Maximum sustained winds were near 65 knots (75 mph/120 kph), making it a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted Funani is rapidly strengthening as it moves southeast. The storm will intensify to 105 knots (121 mph/192 kph) within two days, before starting to weaken.

Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.