Articles tagged with Clouds
NASA has identified a developing tropical system in Mozambique's Nampala Province, characterized by strong storms and potentially heavy rainfall. The system, known as System 91S, is expected to track southwest in the Mozambique Channel, with forecasters predicting a high chance of it becoming a tropical depression within the next day.
The study reveals that greenhouse gas effects on climate are uncertain due to complex interactions between aerosols, cloud cover, and sunlight. Researchers highlight the need for improved observational tools and models to reduce uncertainty in climate forcing and predict future impacts of aerosols on weather and climate.
New research reveals global climate sensitivity is higher than previously thought due to correct representation of water vapor in cloud formation. Global temperatures are expected to increase by 3-5°C with a doubling of carbon dioxide, with potentially more extreme warming if emissions are not reduced.
Tropical Cyclone Amara is experiencing heavy rainfall, with scattered bands of moderate to heavy rain falling at rates over 76.9 mm/3 inches per hour. The storm is also producing hurricane-force winds and rough seas.
Tropical Cyclone Bruce maintained hurricane-force winds and a visible eye in the Southern Indian Ocean. The storm's convection strengthened around the eyewall, fueled by high clouds and thunderstorms.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured Tropical Cyclone Bruce's developing eye in a visible image, showing a consolidating low-level circulation center and improved thunderstorm banding. The cyclone strengthened to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 57.5 mph, expected to intensify over the next couple of days.
Tropical Cyclone Madi made landfall in southeastern India as its strongest thunderstorms weakened after passing over NASA's Aqua satellite. The storm's interaction with dry air and increased wind shear led to its rapid weakening.
The TRMM satellite spotted powerful storms in Tropical Cyclone Madi, with rain falling at a rate of over 81 mm/hour. The storm's maximum sustained winds dropped to 40 knots after the observation, and it is expected to weaken further as it approaches landfall in southeastern India.
Tropical Cyclone Madi maintained its tropical storm-force strength as it approached the eastern coast of India. The storm's proximity to the coast was confirmed by NASA's Aqua satellite, which captured a visible image of the elongated system with no visible eye.
Scientists used NASA's AIRS instrument to observe System 90L, a non-tropical low-pressure area in the Atlantic Ocean. The system struggled to organize into a subtropical or tropical cyclone, with only a 20% chance of development over the next five days.
Researchers found that pollution decreases the size of cloud and ice particles, making them linger in the sky. This leads to taller, bigger anvil-shaped clouds that cool the earth during the day but trap heat at night.
Tropical Cyclone Lehar formed off the Malay Peninsula on November 23, strengthening into a tropical cyclone as it moved towards the Andaman Islands. NASA's Terra satellite captured an image of the storm on November 25, showing maximum sustained winds near 65 knots/74.8 mph.
Tropical Storm Helen is affecting southeastern India with strong winds, rough seas, and a storm surge of up to 1.5 meters. The storm is expected to weaken as it nears the coast, making landfall in Tenali on November 22.
Super-Typhoon Haiyan maintained its structure and remained a powerful Category 5 tropical cyclone as it exited the western Philippines. The storm brought heavy rainfall potential and thunderstorms to various regions, with warnings still in effect across the country.
NASA satellite imagery shows Tropical Depression 30W elongating as it makes landfall in southern Vietnam, with shallow thunderstorm development. The storm is expected to dissipate over the next day, but there is a chance of regeneration once its remnants move over nearby seas.
Tropical Storm Haiyan is strengthening due to warm waters and low wind shear, expected to intensify to a powerful typhoon before landfall in the Philippines on Nov 8. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts Haiyan will have maximum sustained winds of near 45 knots/51.7 mph/83.3 kph.
Tropical Depression Raymond decoupled from its mid-level circulation center, weakening due to cooler sea temperatures and dry air. The storm's lower level circulation has pushed away from the center, causing it to weaken further.
Hurricane Raymond strengthened into a hurricane again after moving into warmer waters with less wind shear, as captured by NASA's Aqua satellite. The storm then weakened due to increased wind shear, leading to its predicted dissipation in the next couple of days.
Tropical Storm Francisco is transitioning to a cold-core low-pressure area due to cold air and mid-latitude westerly winds. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center predicts Francisco will continue this transition as it moves northeast over the next couple of days.
Hurricane Raymond has weakened to a tropical storm, with rainfall totals of over 350mm along the Mexican coast and extreme amounts in open waters. The storm is expected to move into a more favorable environment, potentially reaching hurricane status again before weakening over cooler waters by October 31
Researchers have discovered coral animals produce dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP), a molecule that helps protect them against heat stress and influences cloud formation. This finding could be crucial for regulating local climate and mitigating the effects of rising seawater temperatures.
Typhoon Francisco is a large storm with a tightly wound center and small eye, approaching Japan with maximum sustained winds near 75 knots. The storm is expected to turn northeast in the next day or two and slowly weaken after passing southern Japan.
A team of researchers from MIT has generated the first map of clouds on an exoplanet, Kepler 7b, which reveals a dense layer of clouds on one hemisphere. The study suggests that this cloud cover creates an atmosphere conducive to further cloud formation and regulates the planet's temperature.
The TRMM satellite observed a 'hot tower' near the center of Tropical Depression 11, indicating it would strengthen into Tropical Storm Jerry. The storm later strengthened with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared data on Tropical Depression Sepat, revealing some strong thunderstorms and cold cloud tops near the center of circulation. The storm is expected to track over a pool of cooler waters, hindering its development, and may briefly strengthen into a tropical storm before weakening again.
Tropical Storm Pabuk is transitioning from a warm core tropical system to a cold core low pressure system, as observed by NASA's Aqua satellite on Sept. 26, 2013.
Typhoon Pabuk's eye shrunk to 25 nautical miles in diameter after high clouds covered the center, reducing visibility on NASA satellite imagery. The storm is expected to remain at sea and transition into an extra-tropical storm by Sept. 27.
Hurricane Manuel brought intense rainfall to northwestern Mexico, causing destruction, and its remnants streamed into southwestern Texas, bringing showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall rates reached up to 2 inches per hour, with potential for heavy rain and mudslides.
Super-Typhoon Usagi is a powerful storm that has affected the Philippines and Taiwan with heavy rain and strong winds. NASA's TRMM and Aqua satellites captured detailed images of the storm's eye and cloud structure, revealing strong thunderstorms and rainfall rates of over 5.5 inches per hour.
TRMM satellite observed heavy rainfall around the storm's center and in a band of thunderstorms north of the center. Hot towers over 9.9 miles high were detected, indicating intense rainfall potential.
System 95L has a high chance of becoming a tropical depression as it moves west-northwestward at 5 to 10 mph. NASA's Global Hawk gathers data on this low-pressure area, which is expected to spread heavy rain over eastern and southern Mexico.
NASA's Terra satellite captured an image of Tropical Storm Humberto resembling the letter "A" due to a cloud-free southern quadrant. The storm has maximum sustained winds near 40 mph and is moving north-northwest with possible strengthening in the next 48 hours.
A wide band of strong thunderstorms was detected south of Tropical Storm Usagi's center using infrared data from NASA's Aqua satellite. The cloud top temperatures exceeded -63F/-52C, indicating high thunderstorms with potential for heavy rainfall.
Tropical Storm Man-yi has two distinct vortices rotating around its center, one in the northwestern and southeastern sides. These vortices are associated with strong thunderstorms and deepening convection, indicating strengthening winds.
Tropical Storm Gabrielle regained strength after being weakened by southwesterly wind shear. Another low-pressure system, System 93L, is expected to develop in the Gulf of Mexico, with favorable environmental conditions for its formation.
Two NASA satellites, Aqua and TRMM, analyzed Hurricane Humberto's environment on Sept. 10, gathering data on cloud-top temperatures and rainfall rates. The heaviest rainfall was found west of the storm's center, with rates reaching up to 2 inches per hour.
Cloud forest trees are highly sensitive to climate change due to their narrow temperature range, making them vulnerable to migration and population loss. Conservation strategies may need to be revised to protect these ecosystems from massive population decline.
NASA's HS3 mission investigated Tropical Storm Gabrielle's remnants near the Bahamas, while Aqua satellite data showed strong thunderstorms strengthening Humberto. Humberto is expected to continue strengthening and potentially become a hurricane.
NASA's TRMM and Terra satellites monitored cloud extent and rainfall within Tropical Storm Gabrielle. System 99L shows potential to become a tropical storm near Mexico's east coast, while System 98L remains disorganized in Eastern Atlantic.
NASA's TRMM satellite sees 'hot towers' in Tropical Depression 12E, suggesting intensification. The hot towers, which reach altitudes of up to 15 km, are associated with heavy rainfall and a higher likelihood of strengthening within six hours.
Tropical Storm Gabrielle has weakened to a depression by Sept. 5, while three other low pressure areas struggle to develop in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Heavy rainfall is expected in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, with isolated maximum amounts of up to 8 inches possible.
Scientists have observed water ice and ammonia ice in Saturn's atmosphere for the first time. The new findings suggest that clouds of different chemical compositions can coexist, with water ice making up 22% and ammonia ice 55%.
Researchers found that the Amazon rainforest's stability and resilience to widespread deforestation may be lower than previously thought. Deforestation-induced precipitation changes can trigger a forest-to-grassland shift in different zones of the Amazon, with some areas experiencing sharp declines in rainfall. Meanwhile, scientists al...
Tropical cyclones rely on hundreds of thunderstorms with coldest cloud top temperatures to produce heavy rain. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite revealed that wind shear was pushing storm systems away from the center of Tropical Storm Kong-Rey.
A $6 million CU Boulder instrument will study lunar dust behavior, helping answer why astronauts saw a pre-sunrise glow on the moon. The LADEE mission, launched on Sept. 6, will orbit the moon for a month to collect data and answer questions about lunar dust transport.
Tropical Storm Juliette weakened near Mexico's Baja California on Aug 29, 2013, with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph/65 kph. Two other low-pressure areas in the Eastern Pacific were also being monitored for development.
Tropical Storm Pewa's wind shear has pushed precipitation away from its center, resulting in a weakening storm. Cloud top temperatures have warmed up, indicating the uplift in Pewa was waning by August 23.
Typhoon Trami made landfall in east China's Fujian Province with maximum sustained winds near 75 knots/86 mph. The storm's infrared view showed tightly wrapped powerful thunderstorms around the center during landfall, indicating strong uplift and potential heavy rainfall.
Tropical Storm Pewa weakened temporarily due to adverse atmospheric conditions in the Northwestern Pacific. The storm's convection and thunderstorms have deepened, with cloud top temperatures reaching as low as -63F/-52C.
Tropical Storm Unala weakened to a depression after forming in the central Pacific, with cloud top temperatures indicating strong storms with heavy rain potential. The storm's interaction with Typhoon Pewa is expected to cause further weakening and dissipation within 24 hours.
Tropical Storm Trami appears very large in infrared data from NASA's Aqua satellite, spanning over two-thirds the size of the Philippines. The massive storm is now making a U-turn in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Tropical Storm Erin weakened to a tropical depression due to cooler waters and dry air in the Eastern Atlantic. Its maximum sustained winds dropped to near 35 mph, with no significant changes expected over the next couple of days.
Tropical Storm Erin is intensifying in the eastern Atlantic due to strong thunderstorms and a 'hot tower' in its center, reaching maximum sustained winds near 40 mph. Research shows tropical cyclones with hot towers are more likely to intensify.
Researchers discovered that large waves in Norwegian fjords were triggered by a powerful Japan earthquake, while disposal of Marcellus Shale fracking waste caused earthquakes in Ohio. The Arctic region is also sensitive to black carbon emissions, which can have devastating effects on the environment.
NASA's GOES-West satellite image captures three active tropical cyclones in the Central and Eastern Pacific Oceans. System 92E has a more developed circulation and is expected to become a tropical cyclone with a high chance, while System 93E has a low chance of development.
Tropical Depression 11W is organizing and strengthening in the western North Pacific Ocean, with NASA's Aqua satellite capturing an infrared image of the system. Cloud top temperatures indicate strong storms, suggesting heavy rainfall rates when the depression strengthens into a tropical storm.
A new study suggests that the ozone hole could be causing a slight warming effect on the planet, rather than a cooling one. The ozone hole's impact on wind patterns causes clouds to move towards the South Pole, reducing their ability to reflect radiation and leading to increased temperatures.
NASA's TRMM satellite detected powerful thunderstorms reaching 10 miles high in Hurricane Henriette, which dropped heavy rainfall. The storm's towering clouds, known as 'hot towers,' played a role in its formation and intensification.
Tropical Storm Gil's cloud top temperatures warmed since the previous day, indicating a loss of thunderstorms' ability to form more powerful storms. As the storm weakened, it ceased to be a tropical cyclone and continued moving south of Hawaii.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared data showing very cold cloud top temperatures of strong thunderstorms around Tropical Storm Mangkhut's center before landfall in northern Vietnam. The storm is expected to dissipate within 24 hours after making landfall about 65 miles south of Hanoi.