System 98S Southern Indian Ocean

NASA’s Aqua satellite is already seeing the potential in a tropical low pressure area to blossom into a tropical cyclone through its very cold cloud top temperatures.

A low pressure system known as System 98S is currently moving over the northern coast of Western Australia appears to have a good chance for developing into a tropical cyclone later this week once it slides into the warm waters of the Southern Indian Ocean.

On Monday, January 24, 2011 EST, the low was nearing Kuri Bay, located on the northern coast of Western Australia. It is forecast to continue moving southwest and skip over water along the northern coast as it heads toward Beagle Bay, Derby and Broome will be affected by the low’s outer rains and winds as it continues tracking southwest.

Tropical Storm Vania South Pacific Ocean

Tropical Storm Vania on January 12 at 1246 UTC (7:46 a.m. EST). TRMM noticed that some of the thunderstorms reached more than 9 miles (~15 kilometers) high, indicating strong uplift and a heavy rainmakers. TRMM also noticed that the heaviest rains were falling in the northeastern quadrant of the storm and indicate rainfall at about 2 inches per hour. Other quadrants of the storm were generating moderate rainfall rates between .78 to 1.57 inches per hour. TRMM is managed by NASA and the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA.

TRMM captured the rainfall rates of Tropical Storm Vania on January 12 at 1246 UTC. The yellow and green areas indicate moderate rainfall between .78 to 1.57 inches per hour. The heaviest rains were falling in the northeastern quadrant of the storm (Red) and indicate rainfall at about 2 inches per hour.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.