Tropical cyclones « CIMSS Satellite Blog

Cyclone Fani makes landfall in India

May 3rd, 2019 | Scott Bachmeier

EUMETSAT-8 Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) umages [click to play animation | MP4]

EUMETSAT Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

EUMETSAT Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images (above) showed the intensification of Cyclone Fani to a high-end Category 4 storm on 02 May 2019 (ADT | SATCON | PGTW advisory), before eventually making landfall in northeastern India at 0230 UTC on 03 May. During its life cycle, Fani moved over warm sea surface temperature values of 29-30ºC — and deep-layer wind shear of only 5-10 knots on 02 May provided an environment favorable for rapid intensification.

Once inland, Fani was in the process of rapidly weakening to a Category 1 storm as it passed over Bhabaneswar (VEBS), and surface wind gusts to 75 knots were reported at that site (below).

Time series plot of surface observations from Bhabaneswar, India [click to enlarge]

A sequence of VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP as viewed using RealEarth (below) showed snapshots of Fani from 19 UTC on 01 May (over the Bay of Bengal) to 07 UTC on 03 May (after landfall).

Sequence of NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]

A comparison of VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP on 02 May (below) showed Fani shortly after it had reached Category 4 intensity.

VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP [click to enlarge]

DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) image at 1230 UTC + Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) image at 1300 UTC [click to enlarge]

A toggle between a DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave image at 1230 UTC and a Meteosat-8 Infrared Window image at 1300 UTC from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (above) showed the eye and totally closed eyewall of Fani when it was at its peak intensity on 02 May. However, the MIMIC TC product (below) indicated that the eastern portion of the eyewall started to erode as Fani approached the coast and began to undergo an eyewall replacement cycle.

MIMIC TC morphed microwave product, 01-02 May [click to enlarge]

On 30 April, VIIRS DayNight Band (0.7 µm) images (below, courtesy of William Straka, CIMSS) revealed widespread mesospheric airglow waves (reference) within the western semicircle of the storm, along with numerous bright lightning streaks associated with convection south of the storm center.

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images at 1939 UTC on 30 April [click to enlarge]

NOAA-20 VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images at 2029 UTC on 30 April [click to enlarge]

Posted in DMSP, Meteosat, Microwave, NOAA-20, RealEarth, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images, Satellite winds, Suomi NPP, Tropical cyclones, VIIRS | No Comments »

Cyclone Kenneth makes landfall in Mozambique

April 25th, 2019 | Scott Bachmeier

Meteosat-8 Visible (0.8 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

EUMETSAT Meteosat-8 Visible (0.8 µm) images (above) and Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images (below) showed Category 4 Cyclone Kenneth (12 UTC JTWC advisory) making landfall along the northeast coast of Mozambique (north of Pemba FQPB: surface observations) on 25 April 2019. Kenneth had been moving over warm water and through an environment of low deep-layer wind shear, factors favorable for its rapid intensification (ADT | SATCON). After making landfall, Kenneth rapidly weakened to Category 1 intensity by 18 UTC — but Metop-A ASCAT winds of 40-49 knots were still sampled along the coast on the rear periphery of the storm. The slow inland movement of the remnants of Kenneth combined with copious amounts of tropical moisture as depicted by MIMIC TPW posed a concern for potential flooding problems.

Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from Suomi NPP and NOAA-20, viewed using RealEarth (below), provided higher-resolution views of Kenneth a few hours prior to landfall. This was the strongest tropical cyclone landfall on record for the northern portion of Mozambique, as discussed here.

VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 [click to enlarge]

GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Microwave (89 GHz) image (below, courtesy of William Straka, CIMSS) showed the eye and spiral band structures near the Mozambique coast at 1030 UTC on 25 April. The evolution of the eye since its initial formation on 23 April was evident in the MIMIC TC product.

GCOM-W1 AMSR2 Microwave (89 GHz) image [click to enlarge]

A longer animation of Meteosat-8 Infrared images (below) during the later half of its storm track showed the formation of an eye as Kenneth began its period of rapid intensification on 24 April. Cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures were -90ºC and colder (yellow pixels embedded with darker shades of purple) during the 1030-1800 UTC period on 24 April. Note that the center of Kenneth passed just north of the island of Grande Comore soon after the eye had developed — at Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport FMCH in Moroni, southeast winds gusted to 65 knots at 21 UTC 0n 24 April as the southern eyewall passed over the island.

Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

NOAA-20 VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images (below, courtesy of William Straka, CIMSS) showed Kenneth at 2232 UTC on 24 April, shortly before the tropical cyclone had reached Category 4 intensity. Ample illumination from the Moon — in the Waning Gibbous phase, at 73% of Full — provided an excellent example of the “visible image at night” capability of the VIIRS Day/Night Band.

NOAA-20 Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]

NOAA-20 VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]

Posted in GCOM-W1, Meteosat, Metop, Microwave, NOAA-20, RealEarth, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images, Satellite winds, Suomi NPP, Tropical cyclones, VIIRS | No Comments »

Tropical Storm Iba off the coast of Brazil

March 24th, 2019 | Scott Bachmeier

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with GLM Groups plotted in red [click to play animation | MP4]

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images (below) showed the formation of Tropical Storm Iba off the east coast of Brazil at 16 UTC on 24 March 2019 (surface analyses). Plots of GLM Groups revealed some intermittent lightning activity. Tropical cyclones in the South Atlantic basin are rare — the last was in 2010, and only one example (Catarina in March 2004) is known to have reached hurricane intensity.

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

A toggle between NOAA-20 VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) from RealEarth (below) showed Iba at 1610 UTC.

NOAA-20 VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images at 1610 UTC [click to enlarge]

GOES-16 Infrared images with an overlay of deep-layer wind shear valid at 18 UTC from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (below) revealed a very tight gradient of shear over Iba. However, the shear gradient began to relax somewhat by 21 UTC.

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) images, with an overlay of 18 UTC deep-layer wind shear [click to enlarge]

In a sequence of GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) and Infrared-Water Vapor (10.3-6.9µm) brightness temperature difference (BTD) images (below), the clusters of deep convection propagating southward — east of Iba’s center of circulation, denoted by “I” — exhibited large negative BTD values (darker shades of red) suggestive of significant cloud-top penetration into the lower stratosphere (reference).

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm) and Infrared-Water Vapor (10.3-6.9µm) BTD images [click to enlarge]

GOES-16 Visible images with an overlay of 1138 UTC ASCAT surface scatterometer winds from the Metop-A satellite (below) showed speeds in the 40-49 knot range (yellow barbs).

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with Metop-A ASCAT winds at 1137 UTC [click to enlarge]

The MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product (below) showed that Iba was embedded within a plume of moisture that extended southeastward off the coast of Brazil.

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product [click to play animation]

Sea Surface Temperature values (below) were around 30ºC in the waters where Iba intensified.

Sea Surface Temperature analysis at 2230 UTC on 23 March [click to enlarge]

===== 25 March Update =====

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) with GLM Groups (left) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 µm, right) images [click to play animation | MP4]

A comparison of GOES-16 Visible and Infrared images (above) showed that increasing deep-layer wind shear had exposed the low-level circulation center of Iba. However, GLM Groups plotted on the Visible images revealed an increasing amount of lightning activity associated with a convective burst that began to wrap around the southern edge of the storm center after 15 UTC — and a brief cloud-top infrared brightness temperature of -90ºC (yellow pixel embedded with darker purple shades) was seen at 1635 UTC.

A timely overpass of the Suomi NPP satellite at 1639 UTC provided 375-meter resolution VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images (below), which showed a large overshooting top that exhibited infrared brightness temperatures of -90ºC and colder (yellow), with a warmer ring of compensating subsidence immediately surrounding it. The coldest pixel had a brightness temperature of -103.7ºC — which is almost 1ºC colder than the -102.96ºC value noted over Australia in 2008.

Suomi NPP VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]

The explosive growth of that convective burst was very apparent in a toggle between VIIRS Infrared images from NOAA-20 at 1549 UTC and Suomi NPP at 1639 UTC (below, courtesy of William Straka, CIMSS). Note that the images use a slightly different variant of the color enhancement. A comparison of VIIRS True Color and Infrared images from NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP viewed using RealEarth is available here.

VIIRS Infrared (11.45 µm) images from NOAA-20 at 1549 UTC and Suomi NPP at 1639 UTC [click to enlarge]

Posted in GLM, GOES-16, Lightning, Metop, Microwave, NOAA-20, RealEarth, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images, Satellite winds, Suomi NPP, Tropical cyclones, VIIRS | No Comments »

Tropical Cyclone Veronica north of Australia

March 21st, 2019 | Scott Bachmeier

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images at 1716 UTC [click to enlarge]

A toggle between Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images (above) showed Category 4 Cyclone Veronica off the northern coast of Western Australia at 1716 UTC on 21 March 2019. Ample illumination from a Full Moon maximized the “visible image at night” capability of the Day/Night Band.

In a comparison of Microwave images from Suomi NPP ATMS at 1716 UTC and from GCOM-W1 AMSR2 at 1732 UTC (below), an eyewall that was nearly completely closed was apparent. Suomi NPP and GCOM-W1 images courtesy of William Straka, CIMSS.

Microwave images from Suomi NPP ATMS at 1716 UTC and from GCOM-W1 AMSR2 at 1732 UTC [click to enlarge]

A DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) image at 2246 UTC from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site is shown below. The deep-layer Wind Shear at 21 UTC was low (green contours), and Sea Surface Temperature values were quite high — both factors favorable for continued intensification as Veronica moved slowly toward the coast.

DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) image at 2246 UTC, with an overlay of 21 UTC deep-layer Wind Shear, and Sea Surface Temperature [click to enlarge]

2.5-minute interval rapid scan Himawari-8 Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (below) showed increasing organization to the eyewall structure. At times the cloud-top infrared brightness temperatures were -90ºC and colder (yellow pixels embedded within darker purple). Note: the rapid scan sector was re-poositioned eastward at 0100 UTC (to monitor Cyclone Trevor), so 10-minute imaging resumed after that time.