Tag: Jerry 2019

Sep. 25, 2019 – NASA-NOAA Satellite Finds Jerry Now a Post-Tropical Storm

NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite passed over Jerry and provided forecasters with a view of its structure that helped confirm it is now post-tropical.

On Sept. 25 at 12:48 p.m. EDT (1806 UTC), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP provided a visible image of Jerry. The VIIRS image showed the storm as swirls of clouds with no organized deep convection developing strong thunderstorms. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center or NHC said since around 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) yesterday [Sept. 24], that there was a lack of strong thunderstorms which had been seen in earlier satellite imagery, including from NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites. As a result, Jerry was designated as a post-tropical cyclone.

A Post-Tropical Storm is a generic term for a former tropical cyclone that no longer possesses sufficient tropical characteristics to be considered a tropical cyclone. Former tropical cyclones can become fully extratropical, subtropical, or remnant lows which are three classes of post-tropical cyclones. In any case, they no longer possesses sufficient tropical characteristics to be considered a tropical cyclone. However, post-tropical cyclones can continue carrying heavy rains and high winds.

A Tropical Storm Warning was in effect for Bermuda for Sept. 25. At 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Jerry was located near latitude 32.0 degrees north and longitude 67.4 degrees west. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the northeast at near 7 mph (11 kph). Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 km/h) with higher gusts.

On the forecast track, the center of Jerry is expected to pass near Bermuda later today. Jerry is expected to produce 1 inch or less of rainfall across Bermuda through tonight. Swells generated by Jerry will continue to affect Bermuda during the next few days. Gradual weakening is expected during the next few days.

Hurricanes are the most powerful weather event on Earth. NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

For updated forecasts. visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov

By Rob Gutro 
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Sep. 24, 2019 – NASA-NOAA Satellite Finds Wind Shear Taking a Toll on Tropical Storm Jerry

Tropical Storm Jerry continued to weaken as warnings were in effect for Bermuda on Sept. 24.  Jerry appeared less organized on visible imagery from NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite because wind shear was taking its toll on the storm.

The shape of the storm is a clue to forecasters that a storm is either strengthening or weakening. If a storm takes on a more rounded shape it is getting more organized and strengthening. Conversely, if it becomes less rounded or elongated, it is a sign the storm is weakening. Jerry is becoming elongated and weakening because of outside winds, known as wind shear.

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.

There are a couple of factors that are causing Tropical Storm Jerry to weaken. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that strong vertical wind shear and an intruding dry, stable atmosphere associated with a high amplitude mid- to upper-level area of elongated low pressure moving off of the east coast of the U.S. is finally taking its toll on Jerry.

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP provided a visible image of Jerry on Sept. 24. The VIIRS image showed Jerry’s cloud pattern has begun to deteriorate. Strong thunderstorm development is now only occurring on the northern quadrant of the tropical cyclone. The VIIRS image showed that the bulk of clouds and precipitation were being pushed northeast of Jerry’s center as a result of wind shear.

On Sept. 24, a Tropical Storm Warning was in effect for Bermuda. At 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Jerry was located near latitude 30.5 degrees north and longitude 68.9 degrees west. Jerry was 275 miles (440 km) west-southwest of Bermuda and moving toward the north at near 8 mph (13 kph). Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 kph) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 993 millibars.

Gradual weakening is forecast during the next few days. A turn to the northeast is expected by tonight, followed by a turn to the east-northeast on Wednesday, Sept. 25.  On the forecast track, the center of Jerry is expected to pass near Bermuda on Wednesday.

Hurricanes are the most powerful weather event on Earth. NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

For updated forecasts. Visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov

By Rob Gutro 
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Sep. 23, 2019 – NASA Satellite Imagery Shows Wind Shear Affecting Tropical Storm Jerry

Forecasters use a variety of satellite imagery to understand what’s happening in a storm, and sometimes just a visible picture can tell a lot. NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite provided forecasters with a visible image of the storm that showed wind shear was pushing clouds away from the storm’s center.

The shape of a tropical cyclone provides forecasters with an idea of its organization and strength. When outside winds batter a storm it can change the shape of it and push much of the associated clouds and rain to one side of it. That’s what wind shear does.

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.

Visible imagery from NASA satellites help forecasters understand if a storm is organizing or weakening, or if it is being affected by vertical wind shear. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP provided a visible image of Jerry on Sept. 22. The image showed the bulk of clouds associated with Jerry were pushed to the east-northeast, indicating a west-southwesterly wind shear.

NOAA’s National Hurricane Center or NHC noted that wind shear was affecting the storm on Monday, September 23, 2019. NHC noted that strong winds shear associated with an upper atmospheric, elongated low pressure area located off the southeastern U.S. coast continues to affect Jerry. That system is creating winds from the west-southwest that are pushing the bulk of Jerry’s clouds and showers to the east-northeast.

On Monday, September 23, 2019, NOAA’s National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for Bermuda.

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), NHC reported the center of Tropical Storm Jerry was located near latitude 28.1 degrees north and longitude 68.0 degrees west. Jerry is about 345 miles (560 km) Southwest of Bermuda. Jerry is moving toward the north-northwest near 7 mph (11 kph), and this general motion should continue today. Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph (100 kph) with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is expected during the next few days. The estimated minimum central pressure is 991 millibars.

A turn to the north is expected tonight followed by a turn to the northeast on Tuesday. On the forecast track, the center of Jerry is expected to pass near Bermuda by Tuesday night or early Wednesday. Jerry is expected to produce 1 to 3 inches of rainfall across Bermuda through Wednesday. Swells generated by Jerry are beginning to increase along the coast of Bermuda, and they will continue to affect the island during the next few days.

Hurricanes are the most powerful weather event on Earth. NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

For updated forecasts. visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov

By Rob Gutro 
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Sep. 20, 2019 – Hurricane Jerry Gets its Temperature Taken by NASA-NOAA Satellite

NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite passed over the North Atlantic Ocean and used infrared light to obtain temperature information about Hurricane Jerry’s cold cloud tops.

Tropical Storm Jerry strengthened into a hurricane on Sept. 19 by 11 a.m. EDT.

NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite used infrared light to analyze the strength of storms within the structure of Hurricane Jerry. Infrared data provides temperature information, and the strongest thunderstorms that reach high into the atmosphere have the coldest cloud top temperatures. This data is helpful to forecasters because storms are not uniform around tropical cyclones and it helps pinpoint where the strongest storms are located.

On Sept. 20 at 12:42 a.m. EDT (0442 UTC), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP found that the strongest thunderstorms circling Jerry’s center had cloud top temperatures as cold as minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 Celsius). NASA research has shown that cloud top temperatures that cold indicate strong storms have the potential to generate heavy rainfall.

NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that those heavy rains are possible over the Northern Leeward Islands. Jerry is expected to produce 1 to 3 inches of rainfall, with isolated maximum totals of 4 to 6 inches from Barbuda northwest across St. Maarten, Anguilla, and Anegada. This rainfall may produce life-threatening flash floods. Jerry is forecast to produce total rainfall accumulations of 1 to 2 inches with maximum amounts of 3 inches across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

On Sept. 22, a Tropical Storm Watch was in effect for St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, Saba and St. Eustatius.

At 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Hurricane Jerry was located near latitude 18.5 degrees North and longitude 59.6 degrees West. That puts Jerry’s center about 155 miles (245 km) east-northeast of Barbuda. Jerry was moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 kph).   Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 100 mph (155 kph) with higher gusts. A gradual weakening trend is forecast to continue today, but Jerry is expected to remain a hurricane during the next few days. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft has recently reported a minimum central pressure of 989 millibars.

On the forecast track, NHC forecasters expect the center of Jerry will move north of the northern Leeward Islands later today, pass well north of Puerto Rico on Saturday, and be well east-northeast of the southeastern Bahamas on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019.

Interests elsewhere in the northern Leeward Islands should monitor the progress of Jerry.

Hurricanes are the most powerful weather event on Earth. NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

By Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Sep. 19, 2019 -NASA Analyzes Rainfall Rates in Strengthening Tropical Storm Jerry

NASA has the unique capability of peering under the clouds in storms and measuring the rate in which rain is falling. Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed over Tropical Storm Jerry from its orbit in space and measured rainfall rates throughout the storm.

GPM passed over Tropical Storm Jerry in the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 18 at 11:51 p.m. EDT (Sept. 19 at 0351 UTC). GPM found the heaviest rainfall stretching from the eastern to southern side of the storm where it was falling at a rate of over 25 mm (about 1 inch) per hour there and in a fragmented band of thunderstorms west of center. Forecasters at NOAA’s National Hurricane Center or NHC incorporate the rainfall data into their forecasts.

Hurricanes are the most powerful weather event on Earth. NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

NHC issued a Tropical Storm Watch for Barbuda, Anguilla, St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, Saba and St. Eustatius.

At 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Jerry was located near latitude 16.4 degrees north and longitude 53.9 degrees west. That puts Jerry’s center about 525 miles (845 km) east of the Leeward Islands. Jerry is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 kph).  A west-northwest motion at a slightly faster forward speed is expected over the next few days.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 70 mph (110 kph) with higher gusts. Jerry is forecast to become a hurricane later today, with little change in strength anticipated on Friday or Saturday. The estimated minimum central pressure is 995 millibars.

NHC noted in its key messages that “Jerry is expected to become a hurricane before it moves close to the northern Leeward Islands Friday.  Although the core of Jerry is currently expected to pass north of the islands, tropical-storm-force winds and locally heavy rainfall are possible, and tropical storm watches have been issued for a portion of this area.”  Additional key messages for Jerry can be found on the web at: www.hurricanes.gov/text/MIATCDAT5.shtml.

Both the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA manage GPM.

For updated forecasts, visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov

By Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Sep. 18, 2019 – NASA-NOAA Satellite Provides Forecasters a View of Tropical Storm Jerry’s Structure

Tropical Storm Jerry is the latest in a line of tropical cyclones to develop in the North Atlantic Ocean this season. NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite passed overhead and provided forecasters with a view of its structure that helped confirm it was organizing.

Tropical Depression 10 formed in the Central Atlantic on Sept. 17 by 11 a.m. EDT. On Sept. 17, at 12:48 p.m. EDT (1648 UTC), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP provided a visible image of the Tropical Depression 10, which later became Tropical Storm Jerry. The VIIRS image showed that the storm had taken a more rounded circulation than previously in the day, indicating it had become better organized. The image showed strong bands of thunderstorms that were located over the southern and southwestern portions of the circulation, but were limited over the remainder of the cyclone.

Hurricanes are the most powerful weather event on Earth. NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

By 5 a.m. EDT on Sept. 18, the depression strengthened enough to become a tropical storm. At that time, it was renamed as Tropical Storm Jerry.

NOAA’s National Hurricane Center or NHC said, “At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on Sept. 18 the center of Tropical Storm Jerry was located near latitude 14.6 degrees North and longitude 49.2 degrees West. That puts Jerry’s center about 855 miles (1,375 km) east of the Leeward Islands. Jerry is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph (22 kph). Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts.  Jerry is forecast to become a hurricane by late Thursday, with little change in strength anticipated on Friday and Saturday. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1002 millibars.

NASA and NOAA satellite data have shown that there are warm waters and light wind shear in Jerry’s path which will enable it to strengthen. However, there is also dry air around the tropical storm which is forecast to limit the intensification for now.

NHC said, “A west- northwest motion at a slightly faster forward speed is expected over the next few days. On the forecast track, the system will be near the northern Leeward Islands Friday and pass north of Puerto Rico on Saturday [Sept. 21].”

For updated forecasts. visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov

By Rob Gutro 
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center