Tropical Invest 90E in the East Pacific

By Scott Bachmeier • 8 May 2018

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images, with hourly plots of ship reports [click to play MP4 animation]

An organized area of low pressure (Invest 90E) developed in the East Pacific Ocean on 08 May 2018 — the NHC gave it a 50% chance of becoming a tropical depression within 48 hours. GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) showed the formation of a large convective burst in the northwest quadrant of the circulation after 00 UTC on 09 April.

Metop ASCAT surface scatterometer winds from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (below) showed velocities in the 20.0 to 29.9 knot range (dark blue barbs).

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 µm) image with Metop ASCAT surface scatterometer winds [click to enlarge]

The Invest was located in a region of low deep-layer wind shear, with relatively warm Sea Surface Temperatures and modest values of Ocean Heat Content (below).

GOES-15 Visible (0.63 µm) image, with contours of deep-layer wind shear [click to enlarge]

Sea Surface Temperature analysis [click to enlarge]

Ocean Heat Content analysis [click to enlarge]

The hourly MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product (below) showed that Invest 90E was embedded within the ribbon of high moisture associated with the ITCZ.

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product [click to enlarge]

Categories: GOES-16, Metop, Satellite winds, Tropical cyclones

CIMSS Satellite Blog

CIMSS Satellite Blog

Tropical Invest 90E in the East Pacific