NASA Checks out Hurricane Sergio's Cloud Temperature 9 October 2018

NASA checks out Hurricane Sergio's cloud temperature 9 October 2018

At the time Aqua passed overhead, coldest cloud top temperatures in thunderstorms circled the eye and appeared in fragmented bands of thunderstorms north and south of the center. Those temperatures were as cold as or colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). The exception was on the western side of the storm , where cloud top temperatures were warming, meaning they were not getting as high in the atmosphere.

Despite the slow weakening the hurricane still has a large but well-defined inner-core in the low and mid-levels.

The National Hurricane Center noted at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Hurricane Sergio NASA's Aqua satellite provided an infrared picture of was located near latitude 16.6 degrees north and Hurricane Sergio's cloud top temperatures from Oct. 9, longitude 127.4 degrees west. That's 1,215 miles 2018 at 6:17 a.m. EDT (1017 UTC). Strongest storms (1,960 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of circled the eye (purple) and appeared in fragmented Baja California, Mexico. bands of thunderstorms north and south of the center. Credit: NASA JPL, Heidar Thrastarson Sergio is moving toward the northeast near 7 mph (11 kph). A faster northeastward motion is expected for the next several days. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 80 mph (130 kph) NASA's Aqua satellite peered into Hurricane with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is anticipated Sergio with infrared light to determine if the storm during the next several days. was intensifying or weakening. Infrared data showed cloud top temperatures were getting NHC noted that there are no coastal watches or warmer on the western half of the storm, indicating warnings in effect, but interests in Baja California the uplift of air in storms had weakened. Sur should monitor the progress of Sergio. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite passed Provided by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center over Hurricane Sergio on Oct. 9 at 6:17 a.m. EDT (1017 UTC). AIRS uses infrared light and infrared light provides scientists with temperature data and that's important when trying to understand how strong storms can be. The higher the cloud tops, the colder and the stronger they are. So infrared light as that gathered by the AIRS instrument can identify the strongest areas of a tropical cyclone.

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APA citation: NASA checks out Hurricane Sergio's cloud temperature (2018, October 9) retrieved 24 September 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2018-10-nasa-hurricane-sergio-cloud-temperature.html

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