Tropical cyclones « CIMSS Satellite Blog

Hurricane Kenneth

November 20th, 2011

GOES-11 0.65 µm visible channel images + ship reports

According to the National Hurricane Center, on 20 November 2011 Tropical Storm Kenneth became the latest-forming named tropical storm in the eastern North Pacific basin since Hurricane Winnie formed on 04 December 1983. GOES-11 0.65 µm visible channel images from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (above) showed a well-defined circulation, with a ship report of tropical storm force winds north of the storm center.

The corresponding GOES-11 10.7 µm IR images (below) showed a trend of increasing convection withing the northern semicircle of the storm.

GOES-11 10.7 µm IR images + ship reports

AWIPS images of the MIMIC Total Precipitable Water (TPW) product (below; click image to play animation) indicated that TPW values associated with Tropical Storm Kenneth were in the 50-60 mm range (darker orange colors), as rich moisture was sill in place along the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) / Monsoon Trough.

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water (TPW) product (click image to play animation)

======== 21 November Update ========

GOES-15 0.63 µm visible images (click image to play animation)

Kenneth was upgraded to a Hurricane on 21 November. GOES-15 0.63 µm visible channel images (above; click image to play animation) showed a ragged eye forming as curved convective bands wrapped around the center of the tropical cyclone. Kenneth was able to intensify in part because it was in an environment that possessed uncharacteristically low values of deep layer wind shear (below).

GOES-11 10.7 µm IR image + deep layer wind shear

======== 22 November Update ========

GOES-15 0.63 µm visible channel images (click image to play animation)

Hurricane Kenneth strengthened to a Category 4 storm on 22 November, becoming the most intense major hurricane to form so late in the season in the satellite era. GOES-15 0.63 µm visible channel images (above; click image to play animation) showed the well-defined eye of Kenneth.

Posted in GOES-11, GOES-15, Tropical cyclones | No Comments »

Development of an unusal tropical cyclone in the Mediterranean Sea

November 8th, 2011

EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 10.8 µm IR images

A sequence of EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 10.8 µm IR images at 6-hour intervals (above) showed the development of an unusual tropical cyclone over the western Mediterranean Sea during the 06 November – 08 November 2011 time period.

The tropical cyclone was designated “01M” in a bulletin issued by NOAA/NESDIS Satellie Analysis Branch at 18:19 UTC on 07 November:

TXMM21 KNES 071819
TCSMED

A. 01M (NONAME)

B. 07/1800Z

C. 41.1N

D. 5.3E

E. THREE/MET-9

F. T2.5/2.5/D1.5/24HRS

G. IR/EIR/SWIR

H. REMARKS…DT=2.5 BASED ON .5 BANDING ON LOG10 SPIRAL. PT=2.5. MET=2.0. FT IS BASED ON DT. DEEP CONVECTION HAS PERSISTED LONG ENOUGH AROUND THE LOW LEVEL CENTER FOR A TROPICAL CLASSIFICATION.

I. ADDL POSITIONS

NIL

…SCHWARTZ

Wind speeds were estimated to have reached 45 knots according to various satellite analysis techniques.

Shown below is a comparison of EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 0.64 µm visible channel images at 12:00 UTC on 07 November and 08 November.

EUMETSAT Meteosat-9 0.64 µm visble channel images at 12:00 UTC on 07 and 08 November

Posted in Meteosat, Tropical cyclones | No Comments »

Hurricane Rina

October 24th, 2011

GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images + ASCAT scatterometer surface winds

Tropical Storm Rina rapidly intensified (CIMSS ADT plot) to hurricane intensity off the coast of Honduras on 24 October 2011 — GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel images with an overlay of ASCAT scatterometer surface winds from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (above) showed that Hurricane Rina exhibited a central dense overcast early in the day, with convective bursts near the center of the circulation.

A longer animation of GOES-15 10.7 µm IR channel images (below; click image to play animation) revealed a number of convective bursts, with large areas of the central dense overcast exhibiting cloud top IR brightness temperatures of -80ºC or colder (violet color enhancement).

GOES-15 10.7 µm IR channel images (click image to play animation)

AWIPS images of the MIMIC Total Precipitable Water (TPW) product (below; click image to play animation) suggested that Hurricane Rina may have been tapping moisture from the Eastern Pacific Ocean Intertropical Convergence Zone / Monsoon Trough.

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product + tropical surface analysis (click image to play animation)

It is interesting to note that an increasing pressure gradient between high pressure located over the Gulf of Mexico and the deepening circulation of Hurricane Rina was beginning to enhance the intensity of dry Tehuano gap winds flowing southward into the Gulf of Tehuantepec (below).

MIMIC TPW + Tropical surface analysis + ASCAT scatterometer surface winds

===== 25 October Update =====

NOAA-16 false color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image

On 25 October 2011, widespread high altitude cirrus “transverse banding” was seen along the western periphery of Hurricane Rina on a 1-km resolution NOAA-16 false color Red/Green/Blue (RGB) image (above), created using AVHRR visible channels 1 (0.63 µm) and 2 (0.86 µm) along with IR channel 4 (10.8 µm).

4-km resolution GOES-13 6.5 µm “water vapor channel” images (below; click image to play animation) showed that Hurricane Rina was a prolific producer of transverse banding during much of the day. The GOES-13 satellite had been placed into Rapid Scan Operations (RSO) mode, providing images as often as every 5-10 minutes.

GOES-13 6.5 µm water vapor channel images (click image to play animation)

1-km resolution GOES-13 0.63 µm visible channel RSO images (below; click image to play animation) revealed the formation of a well-defined eyewall during the afternoon hours.