NASA satellite sees Olaf stretch out and fizzle over northwestern mainland MexicoOctober 06, 2009Tropical Storm Olaf wasn't given much of a chance when he was born, and he never did make it to hurricane strength before fizzling out late Saturday night. NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared imagery that clearly showed Olaf's clouds stretched eastward out over mainland Mexico, away from its center of circulation near Baja California. At 11 p.m. EDT on Saturday, October 3, the National Hurricane Center issued its last advisory on Olaf. By that time, he was just classified as a remnant low pressure area. Olaf was basically reduced to a tight swirl of low clouds approaching the west coast of southern Baja California. When precipitation and clouds separate from the center of the wind circulation and that's a tell-tale sign of a storm's demise. That's what happened with Olaf late Saturday. Olaf's clouds and rains moved northeast of his center and were located over mainland Mexico. Northwestern Mexico received Olaf's rains and gusty winds as he faded away. NASA's Quick Scatterometer satellite (QuikScat) passed over Olaf when he was a tropical storm on Olaf captured Oct 2, at 01:42 UTC (9:42 p.m. ET on October 1) and confirmed tropical storm force winds. QuikScat uses microwaves to peer into a storm's clouds and determine the speed of the rotating winds at the surface. At that time, maximum sustained winds were 45 mph, but adverse environmental conditions such as upper level winds and cooler sea surface temperatures weakened Olaf quickly afterward. NASA's Aqua satellite got a great image of Olaf's clouds stretching away from his center of circulation on October 3. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that is used to measure cloud top temperature and atmospheric pressure among other environmental factors clearly showed Olaf's center west of Baja California, but his clouds stretching over the Baja and into northwestern mainland Mexico. Those cloud top temperatures were around -63F indicating that there were still some strong thunderstorms in the storm as it was breaking apart, so Olaf was leaving behind some moderate rainfall and gusty winds as he began to dissipate. As of Monday, October 5, Olaf has dissipated. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center |
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| Related Tropical Storm Current Events and Tropical Storm News Articles Beyond sunlight: Explorers census 17,650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss Census of Marine Life scientists have inventoried an astonishing abundance, diversity and distribution of deep sea species that have never known sunlight - creatures that somehow manage a living in a frigid black world down to 5,000 meters (~3 miles) below the ocean waves. NASA's QuikScat and Aqua providing important data on Tropical Storm Anja Anja has continued to weaken over the last 24 hours, and NASA's QuikScat satellite has confirmed that the once mighty Category 4 Cyclone is now a tropical storm in the southern Indian Ocean. Ida now a coastal low assaulting the Mid-Atlantic Ida is one stubborn girl. Her remnants have moved out to sea and reformed as a powerful coastal low pressure system that's been raining on the mid-Atlantic since Tuesday night, November 10. NASA Satellites See Ida Spreading Out Before Landfall NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Ida, and both have instruments aboard that show her clouds and rains are already widespread inland over the U.S. Gulf coast states. Mirinae intensifying while moving away from the northern Marianas Typhoon Mirinae is moving west and away from the Northern Marianas Islands on a track to a landfall in the Philippines by the weekend. As Mirinae has moved west, NASA's infrared and microwave satellite imagery have seen high, strong thunderstorm development, and a developing eye. Microwave satellite imagery shows an eye developing in Mirinae Microwave satellite imagery has revealed that Tropical Storm Mirinae is strengthening enough to develop an eye, and that's what it's doing. Mirinae was formerly Tropical Depression 23W, but became a tropical storm and received its name. NASA gets a 3-D look at Neki becoming extra-tropical NASA's Aqua and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellites are watching Tropical Storm Neki become extra-tropical, and TRMM data was used to create a three-dimensional image of the storm. Papahanaumokuakea National Monument Facing Hurricane Neki A hurricane warning is in force for the Papahanaumokuakea National Monument from Nihoa Island to French Frigate Shoals to Maro Reef. Hurricane conditions likely there by 5 a.m. HST on Friday, October 23. Baja California Residents Should Prepare for Hurricane Rick Based on computer forecast models, the residents of southern and central Baja California should prepare over the weekend for now Tropical Storm Rick. Rick formed late yesterday, October 15, and is expected to become a major hurricane over the weekend. Baja watching Tropical Storm Patricia in the latest GOES-11 satellite movie The nineteenth tropical cyclone of the Eastern Pacific formed over this past weekend, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Patricia. More Tropical Storm Current Events and Tropical Storm News Articles |
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