Tropical Storm Tasha

Tropical Storm Tasha formed quickly in the South Pacific Ocean last weekend and made landfall on the coast of Queensland, Australia on Christmas day (local time). NASA's Terra satellite passed over Tasha after its center made landfall and captured a visible image of the storm revealing some powerful thunderstorms.

On Dec. 24, Tropical Storm Tasha formed quickly and headed for landfall near Cairns, Australia. At 1800 UTC (1 p.m. EST or 4 a.m. on Dec. 25 local time –Brisbane/Australia), Tasha was near 17.1S 146.3E, about 35 nautical miles east-southeast of Cairns with maximum sustained winds near 39 mph. At that time a NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite image showed banding of thunderstorms and the storm was getting more organized.

Powerful Snowmaker Leaving New England

Snows are finally winding down in New England today, Dec. 27, as a powerful low pressure system brought blizzard conditions from northern New Jersey to Maine over Christmas weekend. The GOES-13 satellite captured an image of the low's center off the Massachusetts coast and saw the snowfall left behind.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite called GOES-13 captured the visible image. GOES satellites are operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. creates some of the GOES satellite images and animations.

As of 1:30 p.m. EST, all blizzard warnings were canceled as the low has pulled much of its snow and rain away from land areas and into the North Atlantic Ocean. The winds behind the system are now causing more problems for residents along the U.S. East coast.

Tropical Storm Omeka Central Pacific Ocean

The Central Pacific now has unwrapped their first tropical storm since 1997. Tropical Storm Omeka formed in the Central Pacific Ocean near the International Dateline and the GOES-11 satellite captured an image of it today.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite called GOES-11 is stationary over the western U.S. and provides imagery of that half of the country in addition to visible and infrared images of the eastern and central Pacific Oceans. Satellite data was used to create a full-disk image of the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean on Dec. 20 at 1200 UTC (7 a.m. EST) at the NASA GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The image showed Tropical Storm Omeka to the west of a large area of clouds along a frontal boundary in the Pacific. GOES satellites are managed by NOAA.

System 91S

At 0600 UTC (1 a.m. EST) on December 15, System 91S was located about 310 miles northwest of Learmonth, Australia near 18.1 South latitude and 110.6 East longitude. Learmonth is located in the extreme western coast of Australia.

When NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over System 91S on Dec. 15 at 06:05 UTC (1:05 a.m. EST) the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) Instrument captured an infrared image that showed a large area of strong convection around the center of the system’s circulation. The cloud tops were as cold as or colder than -63 Fahrenheit, indicating high, strong thunderstorms. The circulation of the low was clearly evident in the visible image from the AIRS instrument.

The strongest surface winds appear to be on the northeastern side of the storm between 25-30 knots (28-34 mph or 46-55 km/hr) where the strong convection is occurring. Minimum estimated pressure is 1000 millibars. System 91S is moving southwest near 5 mph.

Tropical Depression 19W Northwestern Pacific Ocean

Tropical depression 19W was the latest of four tropical cyclones to move over Vietnam this season. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed directly above TD 19W on December 13, 2010 at 2038 UTC (3:38 p.m. EST) and collected rainfall data. TRMM’s Precipitation Radar (PR) showed that a few powerful thunderstorms embedded within TD 19W were dropping heavy rainfall off Vietnam’s south-eastern coast. The heaviest rainfall was falling at a rate of about 2 inches per hour over the coastal waters of Vietnam. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

Although TD 19W was very small it’s rainfall added to October’s extreme rainfall amounts that contributed to the worst flooding seen in the country of Vietnam for 20 years. Flooding was widespread in the central provinces of Nghe An, Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Thua Thien Hue, and Ha Tinh. Deadly tropical storms Mindulle and Conson hit Vietnam in July and August. Tropical depression 18W in November also added to Vietnam’s extremely high 2010 rainfall totals.

According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the organization that forecasts tropical cyclones in that area of the world, TD 19W’s remnant s have already moved ashore and are now affecting southern and central Cambodia.

Tropical Storm 94B

A low pressure system has been moving through the Northern Indian Ocean over the last couple of days and infrared satellite imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite revealed strong convection in its eastern side and strong wind shear.

At 1800 UTC (1 p.m. EST) on Dec. 6, the center of the low pressure area known as 94B was located east of India's southeast coast over the Bay of Bengal. 94B's center is about 225 miles northeast of Colombo, Sri Lanka near 11.4 North and 84.0 East.

When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the low on Dec. 6 at 07:59 UTC (2:59 a.m. EST), its Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured an infrared image of the storm's clouds. The image revealed that the western half of the low is already over land as a result of strong wind shear, while the eastern half of the storm and its center of circulation are over open waters in the Bay of Bengal. AIRS data showed that the eastern half of the low had the strongest convection and thunderstorms as infrared data revealed that cloud tops are so high that they are at least -63 degrees Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius) or colder.

Tropical Storm Abele Becomes More Powerful

NASA's TRMM satellite noticed strong bands of thunderstorms wrapping into Tropical Storm Abele, signaling that it has become more organized and more powerful in the Southern Indian Ocean.

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed directly above tropical cyclone Abele in a remote area of the South Indian Ocean on December 1 at 0702 UTC (2:02 a.m. EST). This rainfall analysis from TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) and TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) shows that Abele had become much better organized. Increasingly well defined bands of rainfall spiraling into the center of the storm are an indication that ABLE had intensified.

The TRMM pass over Abele occurred during daylight hours so the rainfall analysis was overlaid on infrared and visible images from TRMM's Visible and InfraRed Scanner (VIRS). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

On Dec. 2 at 0600 UTC (1 a.m. EST), Abele's maximum sustained winds were near 60 knots (69 mph). It was about 610 nautical miles west-southwest of Cocos Islands and moving southeastward at 13 mph. Abele is about to run into cooler waters and increased wind shear and is expected to begin weakening in the next day.

Western Caribbean Low Not Tropical But a Rainmaker in Central America

A low pressure area in the western Caribbean Sea still has a slight chance of developing into a tropical depression as it closes in for a landfall, but that's not stopping it from dropping heavy rainfall in Central America today.

The low is forecast to make landfall on the Belize coast today, November 19, and continues to move westward and further inland. Although the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. still gives the system a ten percent chance of developing into a tropical depression, it continues to drop moderate to heavy rainfall over Belize and Guatemala today.

At 1 a.m. EST today, the center of the low was located near Roatan Island, Honduras near 16.9 North and 85.8 West.

By 7 a.m. EST, the weak low pressure area had disorganized showers and thunderstorms. It was centered over the Gulf of Honduras and was moving westward between 5 and 10 mph. It is expected to move inland later today over Belize and Guatemala.

Tropical Storm Jal

Today's AIRS imagery hints that circulation is still occurring in Jal's remnants. The circulation was particularly apparent in the AIRS visible image. The AIRS infrared satellite image showed that the strongest convection and thunderstorms are now occurring to the west of the center of circulation and over the open waters of the Arabian Sea.

At 900 GMT (4 a.m. EST) on Nov. 9, the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Jal was over the waters of the eastern Arabian Sea. The Arabian Sea is located in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean and covers a total area of about 1,491,000 square miles.

Relative to land and the nearest city in India, Jal's remnant low was about 70 miles east-southeast of Mumbai near 17.4 North and 71.9 East. Mumbai is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and is located on India's west coast. It is the most populous city in India with 14 million residents.

The forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center are monitoring Jal's remnants for possible regeneration later today.

Tropical Storm Chaba

Tropical Depression 16W in the Pacific Northwest grew into Tropical Storm Chaba over the past weekend, infrared imagery from NASA revealed powerful thunderstorms around Chaba's center.

Tropical Storm Chaba is now located about 525 nautical miles south-southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan.

On October 25 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) Chaba had maximum sustained winds near 60 knots (xx mph). It was still in open waters of the western North Pacific Ocean, near 18.3 North and 129.7 East. It was moving northwestward near 9 mph, and generating 19 foot-high seas.

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Chaba on Sunday, Oct. 24 at 17:11 UTC (1:11 p.m. EDT) and captured an infrared image of the storm's cold cloud tops with th e Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument. At that time, Chaba's coldest cloud tops were as cold as or colder than -63 Fahrenheit indicating strong convection around the south and western edges of the center. The colder the thunderstrorm cloud tops, the higher the storms, and the stronger the thunderstorms.

Typhoon Megi Northwest Pacific Ocean

On October 18, 2010, Typhoon Megi approached and made landfall in the northeastern Isabela Province of the Philippines. Spanning more than 600 kilometers (370 miles) across, Megi was the 15th tropical storm and 7th typhoon of the season in the western Pacific Ocean. It was the most intense tropical cyclone of the year to date.

News reports indicated at least one death and an unknown number of injuries, as power and communications was cut off to more than 90 percent of Isabela and Cagayan provinces. In addition to the immediate damage, officials were concerned about the long-term damage to the rice crop, a staple of the national diet.

This image was taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite at 10:35 a.m. Philippine Time (02:35 UTC) on October 18, 2010. Megi was bearing down on Palanan Bay as a “super typhoon” with category 5 strength on the Saffir Simpson scale. As of 8:00 a.m. local time, the storm had sustained winds of 268 kilometers (167 miles) per hour, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

Hurricane Paula (Atlantic Ocean)

Paula as it traveled directly above on October 14, 2010 at 1437 UTC (10:47 AM EDT). The heaviest precipitation shown by TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data was off the coast of north-western Cuba. Paula was only producing scattered light to moderate rainfall elsewhere over western Cuba and the Florida Keys.

Hurricane Paula was downgraded to a tropical storm at 1500 UTC (11:00 AM EDT) by the National Hurricane Center. Vertical wind shear, dry air entrainment and interaction with the mountainous terrain of western Cuban are predicted to continue to weaken Paula during the next twenty four hours. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

Hurricane Otto

Otto had maximum sustained winds near 75 mph, and the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. noted that some strengthening is possible before it weakens on Saturday, Oct. 9. Otto was located about 445 miles south of Bermuda near 25.9 North and 64.0 West. It was moving east-northeast near 17 mph, and had a minimum central pressure of 979 millibars.

On Oct. 7 at 1729 UTC (1:29 p.m. EDT) NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Otto and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured an infrared image of its cloud temperatures. The image showed that the highest, coldest thunderstorm cloud tops colder than -65 Fahrenheit were around Otto's center and throughout the large band of strong thunderstorms extending from the southeast of Otto's circulation. That band of strong thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall on the already soaked areas of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Tropical Storm Otto Atlantic Ocean

At 11 a.m. EDT on Oct. 7, Tropical Storm Otto had maximum sustained winds near 60 mph, and strengthening is likely, according to the National Hurricane Center. Otto could become a hurricane in the next day or two. Otto was located about 255 miles northeast of Grand Turk Island or 620 miles south-southwest of Bermuda near 23.8 North latitude and 68.0 West longitude. Otto is far away enough from any land areas that there are no watches or warnings in effect. Otto was slowly trudging through the Atlantic Ocean at 2 mph and moving northeast. Otto's minimum central pressure was 992 millibars.

Tropical Depression 14W (Northwest Pacific Ocean)

At 5 a.m. EDT, October 5, Tropical Depression 14W had maximum sustained winds near 34 mph. It was located over Hainan Island near 19.5 North and 109.4 East. Its winds were creating 9-foot high seas. TD14W was moving north at 6 mph. It is expected to make a turn to the north-northeast, make a brief landfall in the mainland of southern China. Once there, it is forecast to move east, then east-southeast, making a half-circle and head toward the eastern end of Hainan Island and dissipate.

Tropical Moisture Bring Heavy Rain, Flooding To U.S. East Coast

The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides estimates of rainfall over the global Tropics. TMPA rainfall totals are shown here for the East Coast of the United States down to the northwest Caribbean for the period from September 24 to October 1, 2010.

The highest rainfall totals for the period are over Jamaica where upwards of 550 mm of rain fell (~22 inches) as a result of Nicole's interaction with the island's terrain. The highest totals along the East Coast occurred over coastal North Carolina where up to 500 mm of rain (~20 inches) fell. Almost all of eastern North Carolina received at least 200 to 250 mm of rain (~8 to 10 inches).

Numerous areas from northern Florida all the way up into central Pennsylvania received at least 100 mm (~4 inches) of rain with several areas in excess of 150 to 200 mm of rain (~6 to 8 inches). Locally, upwards of 9 inches of rain were reported around the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and just over 20 inches in parts of North Carolina.

Although the rain ended a dry spell for the region, 4 deaths are being blamed on the storm in North Carolina. In Jamaica, 12 people are reported to have died as a result of Tropical Storm Nicole.

Tropical Storm Lisa

Lisa on Sept. 25 at 1523 UTC (11:23 a.m. EDT) the AIRS instrument showed much warmer cloud tops then than were seen in previous days, indicating that the cloud tops were not as high and cold as they were before. The stronger the thunderstorms and convection (rapidly rising air that forms thunderstorms that power a tropical cyclone) the stronger the storm.

Therefore, warmer cloud tops indicate that the power in a tropical cyclone is weakening as the clouds don't have the push to bring cloud tops higher. The last advisory on Lisa was issued by the National Hurricane Center on Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. EDT when Lisa's remnants were near 26.1 North and 29.4 west. At that time, Lisa's remnant low pressure area had maximum sustained winds near 30 mph, and weakening. Lisa was drifting north-northwest and continued in that direction over the weekend. Lisa has no chance for regeneration.

Now a Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico

Karl on Sept. 15 and 16. On September 15 at 2153 UTC (5:53 p.m. EDT) Tropical storm Karl was still powerful and very well organized even though it had been over the Yucatan Peninsula for over nine hours. TRMM's Precipitation Radar showed that a cluster of very intense thunderstorms were dropping extreme amounts of rain near the storms center and along a feeder band in the western part of the storm.

Karl moved into the southern Gulf of Mexico between 0330 and 0430 UTC (near midnight Eastern Daylight Time). At 0603 UTC (2:03 a.m. EDT) as Karl was already in the Gulf, TRMM saw light to moderate rainfall occurring in the storm, falling at a rate between .78 to 1.57 inches per hour. Once Karl moved farther into the Gulf, the rainfall rates increased as Karl became a hurricane.

System 92L Looking More Like a Tropical Depression

As the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite called GOES-13 satellite keeps relaying data to NOAA (who manages the satellite) and the NASA GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., the images created by the NASA GOES Project reveal that System 92L appears to be taking on the appearance of a tropical depression. In the imagery captured today, Sept. 14 at 1340 UTC (9:40 a.m. EDT), System 92L is developing the signature comma shape of a tropical cyclone, with outer bands developing around the center.

NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. noted that the showers and thunderstorms within System 92L have even become a little better organized this morning. System 92L is forecast to continue marching west to northwest at 10 to 15 mph over the next couple of days. As it moves through the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea over the next two days, it has a 40% chance of becoming a tropical depression. That would make it the 13th tropical depression of the Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Season if that happens.

Category 4 Hurricane With Icy Cloud Tops and Heavy Rainfall

Last week, Igor was a tropical storm who faded into a tropical depression. The National Hurricane Center had forecast that over the weekend Igor would approach more favorable conditions (low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures) causing it to strengthen into a hurricane and it did. Tropical storm Igor was upgraded by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida to a hurricane on Sunday, September 12 at 0300 UTC (Sept. 11 at 11 p.m. EDT) .

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which is operated jointly by NASA and the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA captured a good look at Igor a few hours after it reached hurricane status. TRMM passed over Igor and captured his rainfall rates at 0504UTC ( 1:04 a.m. EDT). The TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) and TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) instruments revealed that Igor had a well defined circular eye containing bands of heavy rainfall (falling at a rate of as much as 2 inches per hour).

Tropical Storm Igor

Tropical Storm Igor on September 8 at 2026 UTC ( 4:26 PM EDT). A rainfall analysis from TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) showed an area of strong thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall in the newly named storm.

At 2 p.m. EDT on Sept. 9, Igor's winds were still sustained near 40 mph, and unchanged from earlier today. Igor is moving somewhat erratically, however. Early this morning he was moving north, now northwest at 10 mph. Igor was centered about 65 miles northwest of Brava in the Cape Verde Islands, near 15.5 North and 25.4 West. Minimum central pressure is 1006 millibars.

Hurricane Earl

Hurricane Earl's movement north were captured from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) that flies aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. MODIS on Terra captured an image of Earl on Sept. 3 at 12:04 p.m. EDT when it was located east of the Virginia coast. MODIS on NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image of Earl as it was parallel to the Maryland coast at 1:50 p.m. EDT. On Saturday, Sept. 4 at 1:15 p.m. EDT, MODIS on the NASA Terra satellite captured Earl when it was a tropical storm over Nova Scotia, Canada

Tropical Storm Hermine

Tropical Storm Hermine formed very quickly yesterday in the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and northeastern Mexico and southeastern Texas are now bearing the brunt of the storm. Infrared imagery taken from NASA's AIRS instrument showed a quick organization of strong thunderstorms around Hermine's center of circulation and very warm Gulf waters that powered her up.

At 11 p.m. EDT on September 6, Hermine made landfall as a strong tropical storm producing heavy rains over northeastern Mexico and South Texas.

This morning there's a tropical storm warning in effect from Bahia Algodones, Mexico Northward to Port O'Connor, Texas as Hermine is continuing to move inland in a north-northwest direction at 17 mph. At 8 a.m. EDT, Hermine's maximum sustained winds had decreased from their peak of 60 mph to 45 mph now that she's over land in south Texas. She's centered near 27.7 North and 98.2 West, which is about 35 miles southwest of Mathis, Texas. Mathis is about 171 miles north of Brownsville, Texas, the southernmost city in the state. Minimum central pressure is 991 millibars.

New Atlantic Depression 9

The Atlantic Ocean is in overdrive this week, and NASA satellite imagery captured the birth of the ninth tropical depression in the central Atlantic Ocean today, trailing to the east of Tropical Storm Fiona.

NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument, flying onboard the Aqua satellite, captured an infrared image of Tropical Depression 9 on Sept. 1 at 03:41 UTC (Aug. 31 at 11:41 p.m. EDT). It showed high thunderstorm cloud tops west and southwest of the center of circulation indicating strong convection.

At 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EDT) on Sept. 1, Tropical Depression 9 (TD9) was born in the Atlantic Ocean. It had maximum sustained winds near 35 mph, and was moving west at 15 mph. It was located about 830 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, near 12.4 North and 35.8 West. Although there are warm sea surface temperatures (as seen in NASA's infrared AIRS imagery) over the 80 degree Fahrenheit threshold that's needed to power up tropical cyclones, there is wind shear in the area, so intensification will be slow to occur. is in overdrive this week, and NASA satellite imagery captured the birth of the ninth tropical depression in the central Atlantic Ocean today, trailing to the east of Tropical Storm Fiona.

NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument, flying onboard the Aqua satellite, captured an infrared image of Tropical Depression 9 on Sept. 1 at 03:41 UTC (Aug. 31 at 11:41 p.m. EDT). It showed high thunderstorm cloud tops west and southwest of the center of circulation indicating strong convection.

At 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EDT) on Sept. 1, Tropical Depression 9 (TD9) was born in the Atlantic Ocean. It had maximum sustained winds near 35 mph, and was moving west at 15 mph. It was located about 830 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, near 12.4 North and 35.8 West. Although there are warm sea surface temperatures (as seen in NASA's infrared AIRS imagery) over the 80 degree Fahrenheit threshold that's needed to power up tropical cyclones, there is wind shear in the area, so intensification will be slow to occur.

The Eye Of Powerful Hurricane Danielle

Danielle was still a powerful Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale on Friday, August 27 at 11 a.m. EDT. She had maximum sustained winds near 135 mph, and was moving northwest near 12 mph. Danielle's center was about 480 miles southeast of Bermuda near 26.9 North and 59.8 West. Her minimum central pressure is 946 millibars.

Although Danielle is not expected to be directly affected by the hurricane, Danielle will create large and dangerous surf conditions in Bermuda over the weekend. Those large ocean swells will also begin affecting the U.S. east coast beginning this weekend into next week. Beachgoers along the U.S. eastern seaboard should be aware of dangerous rip currents as a result of Danielle's passage.

Danielle is expected to remain a major hurricane until it recurves east of Bermuda and then weaken as it moves northeastward over cooler waters in the central Atlantic.

Strong Convection as Tropical Depression 7 Forms in Atlantic

At 11 a.m. EDT, System 96L strengthened and was designated the Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Season's seventh tropical depression (TD7). At that time, TD7 had maximum sustained winds near 35 mph, and is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm. If TD7 does strengthen, it would become Tropical Storm Earl.

TD7 is still in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean, about 430 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands, near 14.3 North and 30.8 West. It is moving west near 17 mph, and has a minimum central pressure of 1007 millibars.

By this morning, August 25, TD7 has "well-defined cyclonically-curved convective bands...and an established upper-level outflow in the western semicircle," according to the National Hurricane Center. That means that the depression is getting organized.

TD7 is expected to become Tropical Storm Earl later today, especially because there are unusually warm waters in the tropical Atlantic that will help fuel its development. AIRS data showed that the waters are over the 80 degree Fahrenheit threshold needed to power tropical cyclones.

Strong Thunderstorms in New Tropical Storm Frank,

Tropical depression 9E (TD9E) was located off the southern coast of Mexico late Saturday night, August 21. It developed about 210 miles southeast of Salina Cruz, Mexico. By early on Sunday, August 22 (5 a.m. EDT), TD9E was 230 miles southeast of Puerto Escondido, Mexico and slowly moving away from land, west at 7 mph. On Sunday at 11 a.m. EDT, TD9E became Tropical Storm Frank.

Today at 8 a.m. EDT (5 a.m. PDT), Tropical Storm Frank's maximum sustained winds were up to 60 mph, and strengthening is forecast. Frank is located about 105 miles south-southwest of Escondido, Mexico, near 14.3 North and 97.5 West. It has a minimum central pressure near 998 millibars and is crawling west near 4 mph. Frank is expected to turn to the west-northwest and move parallel to the coast of southern Mexico through Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Tropical Depression 8E

At 8:30 a.m. EDT, TD8E had maximum sustained winds near 35 mph and was moving northwest at 7 mph. It is expected to turn to the west-northwest tonight and Saturday. It is located about 230 miles west of Manzanillo, Mexico, near 18.7 North and 107.8 West. TD8 has a minimum central pressure of 1004 millibars. TD8 could strengthen into a tropical storm for a brief time before it runs into cooler waters (cooler than 27 degrees Celsius or 80 degrees Fahrenheit) this weekend. If TD8E becomes a tropical storm, it will get the name "Frank."

Tropical Depression

On August 19 at 1:00 p.m. EDT, the lingering remnants of Tropical Depression 5, were over southern Mississippi. TD5's remnants are forecast to drift slowly eastward today and bring numerous showers and thunderstorms to southwestern Alabama. The heavy rainfall has been producing flash flooding over Mississippi. Flooding is now possible today over southwestern Alabama because of the remnants slow motion. To see the current National Weather Service (NWS) radar from Montgomery,

Located northeast of Meridian, Miss., the town of Livingston, Alabama is also forecast to experience heavy rainfall near and east of a line from the towns of Oneonta to Demopolis as TD5's remnants continue their slow crawl.

TD5's remnants will continue to crawl eastward on Friday as the NWS forecast office in Georgia expects that TD5's remnants to push into the area near Columbus on August 20, triggering showers and thunderstorms.

Tropical Depression Five's Louisiana and Mississippi

Tropical Depression Five's (TD5) remnants remain over the lower Mississippi valley today and are slowly drifting northeast. Yesterday, NASA satellite imagery observed the bulk of TD5's precipitation just south of Louisiana, over the Gulf of Mexico. Today, August 18, that precipitation has moved north and is drenching east-central Louisiana and western Mississippi.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared view of TD5's remnant clouds and showers over Louisiana and the north central Gulf of Mexico on August 18 at 08:23 UTC (4:23 a.m. EDT), and didn't show any extremely high, very cold thunderstorm cloud tops during the early morning hours, which correlates with lighter precipitation during night-time periods.

Estelle's Remnant Low Going Out Kicking

Estelle has diminished and is now a remnant low pressure system in the Eastern Pacific. GOES-11 Satellite imagery from the late morning on August 11 showed a large area of cloudiness that includes Estelle's remnants and a low pressure area nearby, that were kicking up high waves in the region.

Estelle's remnants are expected to merge with the nearby low pressure area. The low showed a burst of scattered moderate to strong convection earlier today (August 11) in its western quadrant. The merge of Estelle and the low is forecast to occur over the next day or so, as the merged system continues to drift eastward. Meanwhile, southwesterly winds in that area are between 22 and 27 mph and are kicking up 8 to 10 foot-high seas. That means that Estelle is going out "kicking."

Tropical Storm Estelle Eastern Pacific Ocean

At 900 UTC (5 a.m. EDT) on August 10, Tropical Depression Estelle had maximum sustained winds near 35 mph and continues to weaken. Estelle is located about 445 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California near 17.4 North and 113.4 West. Estelle was moving toward the southwest near 2 mph and has a minimum central pressure of 1005 millibars.

The National Hurricane Center noted that Estelle has only shown one small burst of deep convection (rapidly rising air that forms the thunderstorms that power a tropical cyclone) later in the evening of August 9 (after NASA's AIRS image was captured). Southeasterly vertical wind shear continues to batter Estelle, and the system is expected to weaken into a remnant low pressure area later today.

Tropical Storm Dianmu

Early on August 8, Dianmu formed in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and by 2100 UTC (5 p.m. EDT) Dianmu had maximum sustained winds near 35 knots (40 mph) and was about 180 miles southwest of Okinawa, Japan.

On August 9 at 04:35 UTC (12:35 a.m. EDT), the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Tropical Storm Dianmu. The AIRS infrared image showed very cold cloud-top temperatures and showed banding of strong thunderstorms around the north, east and south of the center of circulation. Those cloud tops were so high that they were colder than -63 Fahrenheit. The center of circulation was also clearly visible in the infrared image and appeared as a small circle.

tropical storm Colin

The area of cloudiness and rainfall with the remnants of tropical storm Colin when it flew overhead on August 5 at 0049 UTC (August 4 at 8:49 p.m. EDT).

At 2 p.m. EDT on August 5, the remnant low pressure area that was tropical storm Colin was located about 475 miles south of Bermuda and moving northwestward near 20 mph. Satellite imagery indicates that the low-level circulation of the system has become better defined. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted at 2 p.m. EDT that an Air Force reserve hurricane hunter aircraft is enroute to determine whether it has become a tropical depression or tropical storm.

The NHC now gives Colin a 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone again in the next 48 hours and interests in Bermuda should continue to monitor this low pressure area

TRMM Satellite Sees Colin Become a Remnant Low Pressure Area

Tropical Storm Colin was downgraded to a tropical depression after only one day as a minimal tropical storm when upper level wind shear caused Colin's demise. NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite captured an image of the storm's waning rainfall at 9:47 p.m. EDT on August 3.

When the TRMM satellite, a mission managed by both NASA and the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA, flew over Colin late on August 3 it was just a few hours after the National Hurricane Center issued their last advisory on the system. TRMM's rainfall analysis showed that there was very little left of Colin except a relatively small area of widely scattered light to moderate showers.

By 8 a.m. today, August 4, Colin had become a remnant low pressure area. The center of the remnant low was located about 150 miles east northeast of the Leeward Islands, near 17.0 North and 57.0 West. Colin's remnants continue to move west northwestward at 20 to 25 mph.

Although the National Hurricane Center noted that there's a 10% chance that Colin could become a tropical storm again in the next 48 hours, it is still expected to bring heavy rains and gusty winds to the parts of the Leeward Islands and the Virgin Islands today and tonight. Upper level winds continue to batter the storm, preventing it from regenerating today.

Tropical Depression 4 Now a Small Tropical Storm Named Colin

The fourth Atlantic tropical depression became Tropical Storm Colin early in the morning today, August 3 and NASA and other satellites are keeping tabs on it. A GOES-13 satellite visible image at 1145 UTC on August 3, showed Tropical Storm Colin as a compact area of clouds in the central Atlantic Ocean.

NASA infrared imagery from the Aqua satellite has watched Colin's convection increase over the last day, indicating the storm's strengthening to a tropical storm.

GOES-13 or the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite monitors U.S. east coast weather and is operated by NOAA. The NASA GOES Project at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. uses GOES data to create images and animations.

Colin is a small tropical storm. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center. At 5 a.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Colin had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph with higher gusts. Some additional strengthening is forecast during the next 36 hours or so.

Colin is moving toward the west northwest near 23 mph and this general motion is expected to continue for the next day or two. Colin is over open waters and not expected to affect any land areas in the next couple of days. Colin is forecast to pass well to the northeast and north of the Leeward Islands late Wednesday and early Thursday.

Hurricane Rita forecasts its landfall along the Texas Gulf Coast

NASA administrators at the organization's Johnson Space Center in Houston stopped up the manned spaceflight capability as Hurricane Rita approaches the Texas Gulf Coast.

The shutting went into consequence at 2:00 p.m. EDT and will persist until the hurricane hazard has accepted, NASA officials said, adding together that a petite crisis squad will stay behind onsite. Primary mission operations of the International Space Station now orbiting more than 200 miles above the Earth, will be offered over to Russian flight organizers while the JSC location is closed, they additional.

Flying on board the ISS are Expedition 11 commander Sergei Krikalev and flight engineer John Phillips, who are packaging up a six-month mission committed. The station squad has been conversant of the groundings, NASA administrators said.

The hurricane was hub at about 260 miles west of Key West, Florida and 775 miles east of Corpus Christi, Texas, with its landfall expected Saturday as at least a Category 3 storm, NHC forecasters taled.

Hartsfield said JSC implemented its "liberal leave" strategy allowing personnel extra time to arrange their homes and families for the hurricane's entrance, before the JSC closure. About 3,000 civil servants and up to 12,000 outworkers work at JSC, NASA officials said.Hurricane Rita is the second major hurricane NASA in recent weeks.

GOES-11 Watching a Low Pressure Area Near Central America

There's a broad area of low pressure located a couple of hundred miles south of Guatemala with clouds and showers and forecasters are keeping any eye on it using imagery from the GOES-11 and other satellites.

The latest visible image from the GOES-11 satellite taken on July 29 at 1500 UTC a small area of clouds and showers in the Eastern Pacific, a couple hundred miles south of Guatemala. NOAA manages the operation of the GOES series of satellites, and the NASA GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. provides imagery and animations from GOES satellite data.

The National Hurricane Center noted that the system has changed little in organization during the early morning hours today, July 29. Any development of this disturbance is expected to be slow to occur as it moves westward or west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph.

As of today, the NHC only gives this system a ten percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours.

NASA Chat: Getting a 'GRIP' on Hurricane Forecasting

Every summer, tens of thousands of people follow the spinning, counterclockwise drama that plays out across their television screens. Satellite images show a tropical depression forming off the coast. Will it become one of the most powerful storms on Earth? Will it turn into a hurricane?

The Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes mission, or GRIP, will use 15 cutting edge instruments to get a daring new look at some of the world’s fiercest storms. Scientists will study how storms form, strengthen, and weaken, and try to better understand how tropical storms develop into major hurricanes.

On Thursday, July 29, atmospheric scientist Tim Miller from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will answer your questions about hurricanes and the upcoming NASA study. Joining the chat is easy. Simply visit this page on Thursday, July 29 from 3-4 p.m. EDT. The chat window will open at the bottom of this page starting at 2:30 p.m. EDT.

See What's Brewing in 'Hurricane Alleys' Live Online, on iPad and iPhone via GOES Satellite

Scientists working for NASA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. have developed continually updating "movies" of satellite imagery that allows online, iPhone and iPad viewing of any cyclone's movement in the Hurricane Alleys of the Atlantic Ocean or Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-13 satellite captures visible and infrared images of the weather over the U.S. East coast. These images are overlaid on a true color background map, and fed into small and medium-sized videos of the Gulf of Mexico and the nearby Atlantic Ocean for the last 3 days. The GOES-11 satellite provides similar coverage of the U.S. west coast and Eastern Pacific.

The GOES satellites scan further into the oceans twice per hour, offering the opportunity to watch storm development in the swath called "Hurricane Alley," from Atlantic to Pacific. The bigger scans are used to make large-scale Hurricane Alley movies for the last three to five days, illustrating the life-cycle of subtropical storms, as some of them spin up to become hurricanes.

The GOES satellites also scan the entire disk of the Earth every three hours. These are used to produce "full disk movies" from the last five days of satellite imagery data from GOES-13 in the Atlantic and GOES-11 in the eastern Pacific. With just eight frames per day, time flies by quickly as weather circulates across the Western Hemisphere.

Remnant Low of Bonnie Over Louisiana and Western Mississippi as Seen by GOES-13 Satellite

The GOES-13 satellite captured a visible image of the clouds associated with the remnants of former tropical depression Bonnie, now over Louisiana and western Mississippi. Bonnie's remnants are producing scattered showers and thunderstorms today and tonight in those areas.

The GOES series of satellites are operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. creates some of the GOES satellite images.

At 8:30 a.m. EDT Bonnie's remnants generated an area of showers and thunderstorms north of Lake Pontchartrain in eastern Louisiana and western Mississippi. One of the thunderstorms spawned a tornado warning for Wathall and Washington Counties in western Mississippi at that time.

Bonnie's center is located inland south of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the bulk of the showers and thunderstorms associated with it are mainly to the west and north of the remnant low's center.

NASA Infrared Satellite Imagery Sees System 97W Ripe for Tropical Development

When NASA's Aqua satellite flew over System 97W in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean on July 19 at 0417 UTC , it captured temperature data on some very high thunderstorms and strong convection happening inside. Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center who utilize that data noted that System 97W has a good chance of becoming a tropical depression in the next 12 to 24 hours.

NASA's infrared satellite imagery was captured by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder . The convection it detected in the center of System 97W was strong as evidenced by high, cold thunderstorm cloud tops, colder than 63 Fahrenheit .

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that System 97W's maximum sustained winds are estimated between 20 and 25 knots . The center is estimated near 27.9 North and 125.0 East, which is about 175 nautical miles west northwest of Okinawa, Japan. System 97W is moving northwest near 10 mph .

System 97W is forecast to track northward into the Yellow Sea. The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea . The Yellow Sea is located between mainland China and the Korean peninsula.

As it continues northwest, System 97W could strengthen into a tropical depression before tracking over cool sea surface temperatures between 75-79 Fahrenheit 24 hours. A tropical cyclone needs sea surface temperatures of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain intensity.

Tropical Depression 3

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center have been monitoring System 97L for days now with NOAA and NASA satellite data, ship and buoy observations. At 11 a.m. EDT this morning, July 22, System 97L strengthened and organized into the third tropical depression of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season triggering warnings for the Bahamas and Florida.

At 1100 a.m. EDT the center of newly formed tropical depression three (TD3) was located near latitude 21.9 north and longitude 75.0 west. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. TD3 is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 mph and it is expected to continue in this direction with an increase in forward speed during the next 48 hours. Estimated minimum central pressure is 1008 millibars. The depression could become a tropical storm later today.

System 97L's Chances Just Improved, Tropically Speaking

The National Hurricane Center noted in its afternoon update today, July 21 that the showers and thunderstorms associated with System 97L that has been soaking Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands appears to be coming together better for tropical cyclone development.

Showers and thunderstorms associated with System 97L, a vigorous tropical wave currently extend from the northern Leeward Islands westward to Hispaniola.

On July 20 at 18:11 UTC NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument detected strong convection east of the center of System 97L, with high thunderstorm cloud tops as cold as -63 Fahrenheit. The National Hurricane Center noted "Although the system does not yet have a closed circulation satellite imagery suggests that a surface low pressure area is becoming better defined just north of the eastern tip of Hispaniola."

Because environmental conditions are expected to be favorable for development, the National Hurricane Center has noted that System 97L now has a high chance for development into a tropical depression.

NASA Infrared Image Sees Tropical Depression 4 Form in South China Sea

Tropical Depression 04W formed out of disturbance 98W this weekend after this passed over Luzon, the Philippines. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image that showed strong convection and thunderstorms in its center, helping confirm its organization into a tropical depression.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument uses infrared capabilities to take the temperature of various factors associated with a tropical cyclone, from cloud top temperatures which indicate strength of thunderstorms within to sea surface temperatures . When NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Tropical Depression 04W on July 18 at 0723 UTC , it saw an area of very high thunderstorm cloud tops from northeast to southwest around the center of TD4W. Those temperatures were colder than 63 Fahrenheit and indicate strong convection .

At 1500 UTC on July 19 TD4W had still not consolidated and strengthened into a tropical storm. However, the sea surface temperatures in the South China Sea are warm enough to enable strengthening, as long as the wind shear remains low . TD4W had maximum sustained winds near 34 mph and higher gusts. It was located about 285 nautical miles west northwest of Manila, the Philippines, near 15.9 North and 115.9 East. It was moving west-northwestward near 11 mph .

TD4W is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm and move toward the northwest for a landfall south of Hong Kong in a couple of days.

System 098S Strengthens into Tropical Storm Edzan

The area of low pressure that NASA satellites and forecasters were watching yesterday, has taken advantage of low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures in the Southern Indian Ocean and strengthened into Tropical Storm Edzani today.

Tropical cyclone Edzani, the seventh tropical cyclone the southern hemisphere this season, was located about 650 miles east-southeast of Diego Garcia today, January 6 at 10 a.m. ET. That's near 13.1 degrees South latitude and 81.8 degrees East longitude. Edzani's maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph . Edzani was moving west-southwest near 12 mph, and generating waves around 15 feet high.

Multispectral satellite imagery and a microwave satellite image revealed that convection is strengthening and the storm is consolidating. NASA's Terra satellite flew over Tropical Storm Edzani early this morning at 0450UTC . The Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument captured a visible image of the storm that showed the storm has developed a more circular shape.

Edzani will continue to track west-southwestward and gradually intensify over the next couple of days, remaining safely in open ocean.

High Pressure Forcing Tropical Storm Conson Farther South to Hainan Island

NASA satellites are keeping an eye on the changing track of Tropical Storm Conson and the conditions within the storm as it changes in strength on its track through the South China Sea. NASA's Infrared imagery revealed some strong convection in the storm as it takes a more westerly route toward another landfall.

The high pressure ridge acts as a barrier and Tropical cyclone like Conson are forced to go around them. Think of a basketball sitting outside in the rain, and the raindrops drip down the surface to the ground - it’s the same principle.

When NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Tropical Storm Conson on July 14 at 1747 UTC , the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument captured a look at the storm's cloud-top temperatures. Cloud top temperatures tell scientists how high thunderstorms are and that translates into strength because the higher and colder the cloud tops, the stronger the thunderstorms, and typically more rain falls from them.

AIRS infrared measurements of Tropical Storm Conson's thunderstorm cloud-top temperatures revealed 2 large areas of strong convection and icy cold tops that were colder than -63 Fahrenheit. That means there was a lot of energy in Tropical Storm Conson yesterday when the Aqua satellite passed overhead. Animated infrared satellite imagery today, July 15, showed tightly wrapped convective banding around the storm's center indicating its maintaining intensity.

On July 15 at 0600 UTC , Tropical Storm Conson's maximum sustained winds were near 50 knots . Conson was located about 290 nautical miles east-southeast of Hainan Island near 16.6 North and 113.3 East. It was moving west near 12 knots .

Tropical Storm Conson is in an area of strong northeasterly vertical wind shear, blowing at a speed greater than 30 knots . Despite the strong wind shear, the storm is maintaining intensity. However, that wind shear is pushing the strongest convection southwest of Conson's center.

Meteorologists at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center are forecasting Conson to keep tracking westward and cross Hainan Island in the next 24-36 hours . Thereafter, Conson is expected to make landfall in northern Vietnam and dissipate over the weekend.

The GOES-11 Satellite Sees System 96E Getting Tropically Organized

System 96E appears to be getting organized, and that's apparent in the latest visible imagery from the GOES-11 satellite.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite known as GOES-11 keeps a watchful eye over the western U.S. and that includes the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The latest visible image from the GOES-11 satellite was captured on July 13 at 1500 UTC and shows System 96E as a circular area of clouds and showers off the southwestern coast of Mexico. It is located about 300 miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico. That puts its center near 14.3 North and 104.0 West.

GOES is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. creates some of the satellite images from the GOES satellites.

System 96E's showers and thunderstorms are concentrated around its small low pressure center. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. noted today, July 13 that "Environmental conditions are expected to become more conducive for development of this disturbance over the next couple of days as it moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph."

The NHC gives System 96E a 50% chance of becoming a tropical depression in the next 48 hours. If System 96E does become a depression and then strengthens into a tropical storm, it would be named "Estelle."

NASA's 3-D Animation of Typhoon Conson's Heavy Rainfall and Strong Thunderstorms

Imagine seeing a typhoon from space, and seeing it in three dimensions. That's what the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite can do with any typhoon, and just did with Typhoon Conson. TRMM's 3-D look at tropical cyclones provide scientists with information on the height of towering thunderstorms and the rate of rainfall in them, and Conson has high thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.

The TRMM satellite got a good view of tropical storm Conson the west Pacific Ocean as it passed directly overhead on July 12 at 1550 UTC . TRMM Precipitation Radar TRMM Microwave Imager data from the orbit were used when creating the rainfall analysis. That rainfall analysis showed intensifying tropical storm Conson was already very well organized. TRMM data clearly showed that an eye was forming with heavy thunderstorms located northeast of the storm's center of circulation. Those thunderstorms were dropping rainfall at a rate of almost 2 inches per hour.

Hal Pierce of NASA's TRMM Team, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. created the 3-D animation of Typhoon Conson using data from July 12. In the animation, Pierce said that "The developing eye is shown reaching to heights above 15 kilometers .

The TRMM Precipitation Radar 3-D image showed that Conson was already a typhoon at 1550 UTC , which allowed forecasters to reclassify Conson from a tropical storm to a typhoon. TRMM Precipitation Radar revealed that the eye was already well formed indicating that Conson had reached typhoon status at that time.

TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.