DOCSLIB.ORG

Measuring Mission

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

ASSESSMENT OF THE BENEFITS OF EXTENDING THE TROPICAL RAINFALL MEASURING MISSION A PERSPECTIVE FROM THE RESEARCH AND OPERATIONS COMMUNITIES INTERIM REPORT Committee on the Future of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Division on Earth and Life Studies THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Insti- tute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. Support for this project was provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administra- tion under Contract No. NASW-01001. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or rec- ommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not neces- sarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project. International Standard Book Number 0-309-10282-0 Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, D.C. 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334- 3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu. Copyright 2006 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the re- sponsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the Nation- al Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Acad- emies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. www.national-academies.org COMMITTEE ON THE FUTURE OF THE TROPICAL RAINFALL MEASURING MISSION (TRMM) EUGENE RASMUSSON (Chair), University of Maryland (retired), College Park, Maryland V. CHANDRASEKAR, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado CAROL ANNE CLAYSON, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida JEFFREY D. HAWKINS, Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, California KRISTINA B. KATSAROS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (retired), Freeland, Washington M. PATRICK MCCORMICK, Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia MATTHIAS STEINER, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey GRAEME L. STEPHENS, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado CHRISTOPHER S. VELDEN, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin RAY A. WILLIAMSON, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. NRC Staff PAUL CUTLER, Study Director LEAH PROBST, Research Associate ROB GREENWAY, Senior Program Assistant v BOARD ON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AND CLIMATE ROBERT J. SERAFIN (Chair), National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado M. JOAN ALEXANDER, NorthWest Research Associates/CORA, Boulder, Colorado FREDERICK R. ANDERSON, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, Washington, D.C. MICHAEL L. BENDER, Princeton University, New Jersey ROSINA M. BIERBAUM, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MARY ANNE CARROLL, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor CAROL ANNE CLAYSON, Florida State University, Tallahassee WALTER F. DABBERDT, Vaisala Inc., Boulder, Colorado KERRY A. EMANUEL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge DENNIS L. HARTMANN, University of Washington, Seattle PETER R. LEAVITT, Weather Information Inc., Newton, Massachusetts JENNIFER A. LOGAN, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts VERNON R. MORRIS, Howard University, Washington, D.C. F. SHERWOOD ROWLAND, University of California, Irvine THOMAS H. VONDER HAAR, Colorado State University/CIRA, Fort Collins ROGER M. WAKIMOTO, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado Ex Officio Members ANTONIO J. BUSALACCHI, JR., University of Maryland, College Park ERIC F. WOOD, Princeton University, New Jersey NRC Staff CHRIS ELFRING, Director PAUL CUTLER, Senior Program Officer AMANDA STAUDT, Senior Program Officer IAN KRAUCUNAS, Associate Program Officer CURTIS MARSHALL, Program Officer CLAUDIA MENGELT, Associate Program Officer ELIZABETH A. GALINIS, Research Associate LEAH PROBST, Research Associate ROB GREENWAY, Senior Program Assistant KATIE WELLER, Program Assistant DIANE GUSTAFSON, Administrative Coordinator ANDREAS SOHRE, Financial Associate vi Prologue This report was originally released in December 2004 in prepublication form as the first report of a two-phase study to be carried out by the same committee. The first phase was sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis- tration (NASA) and focused on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). The second phase was sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmo- spheric Administration and focused on the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. The report of the second phase will be published in a separate volume in 2006. A number of significant decisions for TRMM have been made since Decem- ber 2004. In 2005, NASA approved a waiver of its controlled reentry guidelines to allow TRMM to operate beyond the minimum fuel point required for a con- trolled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. In advance of the 2005 NASA Senior Review of 12 Earth science missions, NASA’s TRMM team proposed to extend TRMM.1 NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center was directed to continue TRMM science operations through fiscal year 2009, and TRMM may be further extend- ed as a result of a future NASA Senior Review. As of the publication of this report, the TRMM spacecraft and instruments are in excellent condition and are fully operational.2 TRMM has enough fuel to operate until approximately 2012. June 2006 1The TRMM Senior Review Proposal is available online at http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/trmm_rain/ Events/TRMMSeniorProp_1.pdf [accessed May 11, 2006]. 2As mentioned in Chapter 1, Box 1-1, the Clouds and Earth Radiant Energy System instrument failed shortly after launch. In 2002, one of the two Solar Array Drive Actuators lost sun-tracking function, leading to slightly less available power for the spacecraft but sufficient power for nominal operations of all working instruments. For up-to-date TRMM information and operational status, visit the mission Website at http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov. vii Acknowledgments This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures ap- proved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The pur- pose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manu- script remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Phillip Arkin, University of Maryland, College Park Peter Bauer, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Reading, Berkshire, UK Russell Elsberry, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California Roger Pielke, Jr., University of Colorado/CIRES, Boulder Amanda Preble, Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Roger Wakimoto, University of California, Los Angeles Although the reviewers listed above
Recommended publications
  • An Informed System Development Approach to Tropical Cyclone Track and Intensity Forecasting

    An Informed System Development Approach to Tropical Cyclone Track and Intensity Forecasting

    Linköping Studies in Science and Technology Dissertations. No. 1734 An Informed System Development Approach to Tropical Cyclone Track and Intensity Forecasting by Chandan Roy Department of Computer and Information Science Linköping University SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden Linköping 2016 Cover image: Hurricane Isabel (2003), NASA, image in public domain. Copyright © 2016 Chandan Roy ISBN: 978-91-7685-854-7 ISSN 0345-7524 Printed by LiU Tryck, Linköping 2015 URL: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-123198 ii Abstract Introduction: Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict considerable damage to life and property every year. A major problem is that residents often hesitate to follow evacuation orders when the early warning messages are perceived as inaccurate or uninformative. The root problem is that providing accurate early forecasts can be difficult, especially in countries with less economic and technical means. Aim: The aim of the thesis is to investigate how cyclone early warning systems can be technically improved. This means, first, identifying problems associated with the current cyclone early warning systems, and second, investigating if biologically based Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are feasible to solve some of the identified problems. Method: First, for evaluating the efficiency of cyclone early warning systems, Bangladesh was selected as study area, where a questionnaire survey and an in-depth interview were administered. Second, a review of currently operational TC track forecasting techniques was conducted to gain a better understanding of various techniques’ prediction performance, data requirements, and computational resource requirements. Third, a technique using biologically based ANNs was developed to produce TC track and intensity forecasts.
  • NOAA Technical Memorandum NWSTM PR-51 2003 Central North Pacific Tropical Cyclones Andy Nash Tim Craig Robert Farrell Hans Rosen

    NOAA Technical Memorandum NWSTM PR-51 2003 Central North Pacific Tropical Cyclones Andy Nash Tim Craig Robert Farrell Hans Rosen

    NOAA Technical Memorandum NWSTM PR-51 2003 Central North Pacific Tropical Cyclones Andy Nash Tim Craig Robert Farrell Hans Rosendal Central Pacific Hurricane Center Honolulu, Hawaii February 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Overview Remnants of Tropical Storm Guillermo Tropical Depression 01-C Hurricane Jimena Acronyms ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Appreciation is extended to Sam Houston for assisting with developing the best track data and to Treena Loos, who created the best track figures. Finally, it must be acknowledged that the writeup of Hurricane Jimena owes much to the work by Richard Pasch of the TPC. Overview of the 2003 Central North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season Total tropical activity for the season was below normal, with two named systems occurring within the area of responsibility of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC). One tropical cyclone (01-C) developed within the central Pacific, with one system (Jimena) moving into the area from the eastern Pacific. A third tropical system, Guillermo, weakened to a remnant low just to the east of CPHC's area of responsibility, and although CPHC issued one advisory on the system it will not be considered in the final count of tropical activity for the central Pacific for the season. The season was generally quiet, but Hurricane Jimena still managed to take the spotlight. Jimena, at one point a category two hurricane, was the first direct threat to Hawaii in several years. Although it ended up passing about 100 nm south of the Big Island as a rapidly weakening tropical storm, it had the potential of coming closer as a hurricane. As a final note, this was the first year that CPHC tropical cyclone track and intensity forecasts went out 5 days, or 120 hours.
  • Eastern North Pacific Hurricane Season of 1997

    Eastern North Pacific Hurricane Season of 1997

    2440 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW VOLUME 127 Eastern North Paci®c Hurricane Season of 1997 MILES B. LAWRENCE Tropical Prediction Center, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, Florida (Manuscript received 15 June 1998, in ®nal form 20 October 1998) ABSTRACT The hurricane season of the eastern North Paci®c basin is summarized and individual tropical cyclones are described. The number of tropical cyclones was near normal. Hurricane Pauline's rainfall ¯ooding killed more than 200 people in the Acapulco, Mexico, area. Linda became the strongest hurricane on record in this basin with 160-kt 1-min winds. 1. Introduction anomaly. Whitney and Hobgood (1997) show by strat- Tropical cyclone activity was near normal in the east- i®cation that there is little difference in the frequency of eastern Paci®c tropical cyclones during El NinÄo years ern North Paci®c basin (east of 1408W). Seventeen trop- ical cyclones reached at least tropical storm strength and during non-El NinÄo years. However, they did ®nd a relation between SSTs near tropical cyclones and the ($34 kt) (1 kt 5 1nmih21 5 1852/3600 or 0.514 444 maximum intensity attained by tropical cyclones. This ms21) and nine of these reached hurricane force ($64 kt). The long-term (1966±96) averages are 15.7 tropical suggests that the slightly above-normal SSTs near this storms and 8.7 hurricanes. Table 1 lists the names, dates, year's tracks contributed to the seven hurricanes reach- maximum 1-min surface wind speed, minimum central ing 100 kt or more. pressure, and deaths, if any, of the 1997 tropical storms In addition to the infrequent conventional surface, and hurricanes, and Figs.
  • Hurricane Ignacio

    Hurricane Ignacio

    HURRICANE TRACKING ADVISORY eVENT™ Hurricane Ignacio Information from CPHC Advisory 21, 5:00 PM HST Saturday August 29, 2015 The Hawaiian Islands remain vulnerable as Major Hurricane Ignacio continues moving steadily northwest. On the forecast track, Ignacio is expected to pass northeast of the Big Island on Monday. Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph with higher gusts. Ignacio is a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Little change in intensity is expected tonight and a weakening trend is expected to begin on Sunday. Intensity Measures Position & Heading U.S. Landfall (NHC) Max Sustained Wind 140 mph Position Relative to 525 miles ESE of Hilo, HI Speed: (category 4) Land: 735 miles ESE of Honolulu, HI Est. Time & Region: n/a Min Central Pressure: 952 mb Coordinates: 17.0 N, 147.6 W Trop. Storm Force Est. Max Sustained Wind 140 miles Bearing/Speed: NW or 315 degrees at 9 mph n/a Winds Extent: Speed: Forecast Summary The CPHC forecast map (below left) shows Ignacio passing northeast of the Hawaiian Islands at hurricane strength with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or greater. The map also shows the main Hawaiian Islands are not within Ignacio’s potential track area. The windfield map (below right) is based on the CPHC’s forecast track which is shown in bold black. The map shows Ignacio’s tropical storm force and greater winds passing just northeast of the Hawaiian Islands. To illustrate the uncertainty in Ignacio’s forecast track, forecast tracks for all current models are shown in pale gray.
  • Climatology, Variability, and Return Periods of Tropical Cyclone Strikes in the Northeastern and Central Pacific Ab Sins Nicholas S

    Climatology, Variability, and Return Periods of Tropical Cyclone Strikes in the Northeastern and Central Pacific Ab Sins Nicholas S

    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School March 2019 Climatology, Variability, and Return Periods of Tropical Cyclone Strikes in the Northeastern and Central Pacific aB sins Nicholas S. Grondin Louisiana State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Climate Commons, Meteorology Commons, and the Physical and Environmental Geography Commons Recommended Citation Grondin, Nicholas S., "Climatology, Variability, and Return Periods of Tropical Cyclone Strikes in the Northeastern and Central Pacific asinB s" (2019). LSU Master's Theses. 4864. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/4864 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CLIMATOLOGY, VARIABILITY, AND RETURN PERIODS OF TROPICAL CYCLONE STRIKES IN THE NORTHEASTERN AND CENTRAL PACIFIC BASINS A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Nicholas S. Grondin B.S. Meteorology, University of South Alabama, 2016 May 2019 Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my family, especially mom, Mim and Pop, for their love and encouragement every step of the way. This thesis is dedicated to my friends and fraternity brothers, especially Dillon, Sarah, Clay, and Courtney, for their friendship and support. This thesis is dedicated to all of my teachers and college professors, especially Mrs.
  • Hurricane & Tropical Storm

    Hurricane & Tropical Storm

    5.8 HURRICANE & TROPICAL STORM SECTION 5.8 HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM 5.8.1 HAZARD DESCRIPTION A tropical cyclone is a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or sub-tropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation. Tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes are all considered tropical cyclones. These storms rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere around the center and are accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds (NOAA, 2013). Almost all tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic basin (which includes the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea) form between June 1 and November 30 (hurricane season). August and September are peak months for hurricane development. The average wind speeds for tropical storms and hurricanes are listed below: . A tropical depression has a maximum sustained wind speeds of 38 miles per hour (mph) or less . A tropical storm has maximum sustained wind speeds of 39 to 73 mph . A hurricane has maximum sustained wind speeds of 74 mph or higher. In the western North Pacific, hurricanes are called typhoons; similar storms in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean are called cyclones. A major hurricane has maximum sustained wind speeds of 111 mph or higher (NOAA, 2013). Over a two-year period, the United States coastline is struck by an average of three hurricanes, one of which is classified as a major hurricane. Hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions may pose a threat to life and property. These storms bring heavy rain, storm surge and flooding (NOAA, 2013). The cooler waters off the coast of New Jersey can serve to diminish the energy of storms that have traveled up the eastern seaboard.
  • An Observational and Modeling Analysis of the Landfall of Hurricane Marty (2003) in Baja California, Mexico

    An Observational and Modeling Analysis of the Landfall of Hurricane Marty (2003) in Baja California, Mexico

    JULY 2005 F ARFÁN AND CORTEZ 2069 An Observational and Modeling Analysis of the Landfall of Hurricane Marty (2003) in Baja California, Mexico LUIS M. FARFÁN Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada B.C., Unidad La Paz, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico MIGUEL CORTEZ Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, Comisión Nacional del Agua, México, Distrito Federal, Mexico (Manuscript received 20 July 2004, in final form 26 January 2005) ABSTRACT This paper documents the life cycle of Tropical Cyclone Marty, which developed in late September 2003 over the eastern Pacific Ocean and made landfall on the Baja California peninsula. Observations and best-track data indicate that the center of circulation moved across the southern peninsula and proceeded northward in the Gulf of California. A network of surface meteorological stations in the vicinity of the storm track detected strong winds. Satellite and radar imagery are used to analyze the structure of convective patterns, and rain gauges recorded total precipitation. A comparison of Marty’s features at landfall, with respect to Juliette (2001), indicates similar wind intensity but differences in forward motion and accumu- lated precipitation. Official, real-time forecasts issued by the U.S. National Hurricane Center prior to landfall are compared with the best track. This resulted in a westward bias of positions with decreasing errors during subsequent forecast cycles. Numerical simulations from the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model were used to examine the evolution of the cyclonic circulation over the southern peninsula. The model was applied to a nested grid configuration with hori- zontal resolution as detailed as 3.3 km, with two (72- and 48-h) simulations.
  • National Weather Service Southeast River Forecast Center

    National Weather Service Southeast River Forecast Center

    National Weather Service Southeast River Forecast Center Critical Issue: Tropical Season Review 2008 Impact on Southeast U.S. Water Resources Issued: December 18, 2008 Summary: • A normal number of inland-moving tropical systems impacted the region. • T.S. Fay brought record rain and floods to parts of Florida. • Tropical rainfall resulted in significant hydrologic recharge over much of Florida, Alabama, southern Georgia, and central sections of North and South Carolina. • Some severely drought-impacted areas, including North Georgia, western North and South Carolina, and west central Florida, near Tampa, saw limited or no significant hydrologic recharge this season. 1 Southeast River Forecast Center There are several distinct times of the year when “typical” rainfall patterns provide an opportunity for the recharge of key water resources. The primary climatologically-based recharge period (with the exception of the Florida peninsula) is the winter and early spring months. Secondary periods include the tropical season and a small secondary window of severe weather in the fall. Tropical season, from June 1st through November 30th, is potentially a time for soil and reservoir recharge. Most tropical systems arrive in the late summer and early fall, which otherwise tends to be a relatively dry time of the year. Recharge from tropical systems can be “hit or miss.” While some areas may receive extensive rainfall, other nearby areas can remain completely dry. Rainfall will also vary between tropical seasons. Some seasons have been extremely wet (2004 and 2005), while other seasons had little if any tropical activity moving across the Southeast U.S. (2006 and 2007). This reduction of inland-moving tropical activity in 2006 and 2007 aggravated overall drought conditions.
  • Summary of 2002 Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Activity And

    Summary of 2002 Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Activity And

    SUMMARY OF 2002 ATLANTIC TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY AND VERIFICATION OF AUTHORS' SEASONAL ACTIVITY FORECAST An Early Summer Successful Forecast of an Inactive Hurricane Season - But the Many Weak, Higher Latitude Tropical Storms That Formed Were Not Anticipated (as of 21 November 2002) By William M. Gray1, Christopher W. Landsea,2 and Philip Klotzbach3 with advice and assistance from William Thorson4 and Jason Connor5 [This verification as well as past forecasts and verifications are available via the World Wide Web: http://typhoon.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/] Brad Bohlander or Thomas Milligan, Colorado State University Media Representatives (970-491-6432) are available to answer questions about this verification. Department of Atmospheric Science Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523 Phone Number: 970-491-8681 2002 ATLANTIC BASIN SEASONAL HURRICANE FORECAST Tropical Cyclone Parameters Updated Updated Updated Updated Observed and 1950-2000 Climatology 7 Dec 5 April 2002 31 May 2002 7 Aug 2002 2 Sep 2002 (in parentheses) 2001 Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Totals Named Storms (NS) (9.6) 13 12 11 9 8 12 Named Storm Days (NSD) (49.1) 70 65 55 35 25 54 Hurricanes (H)(5.9) 8 7 6 4 3 4 Hurricane Days (HD)(24.5) 35 30 25 12 10 11 Intense Hurricanes (IH) (2.3) 4 3 2 1 1 2 Intense Hurricane Days (IHD)(5.0) 7 6 5 2 2 2.5 Hurricane Destruction Potential (HDP) (72.7) 90 85 75 35 25 31 Net Tropical Cyclone Activity (NTC)(100%) 140 125 100 60 45 80 VERIFICATION OF 2002 MAJOR HURRICANE LANDFALL FORECAST 7 Dec 5 Apr 31 May 7 Aug Fcst.
  • GPM Satellite Shows Double Eye-Wall in Hurricane Jimena 1 September 2015, by Rob Gutro

    GPM Satellite Shows Double Eye-Wall in Hurricane Jimena 1 September 2015, by Rob Gutro

    GPM satellite shows double eye-wall in Hurricane Jimena 1 September 2015, by Rob Gutro "Enhanced infrared images and an earlier microwave overpass from the Global Precipitation Measurement satellite continue to show the presence of a double eyewall structure with evidence of erosion of Jimena's inner eyewall in the southern portion. Since the overall presentation reveals decay of the eyewall, the initial intensity is lowered to 105 knots." On September 1 at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Jimena was located near latitude 16.4 North and longitude 139.1 West. That's about 1,075 miles (1,730 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii. Maximum sustained winds remained near 130 mph (215 kph) and Jimena is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The National Hurricane Center expects slow weakening during the next two days. Jimena was moving toward the west near 13 mph (20 kph). A turn toward the west-northwest is This GPM satellite image of Hurricane Jimena shows the expected later on September 1. The estimated presence of a double eye-wall structure. Heaviest rainfall minimum central pressure is 948 millibars. in red and pink. Cloud imagery from NOAA's GOES- West satellite. Credit: NASA/JAXA/NRL/NOAA Jimena has moved into the Central Pacific basin, so the Central Pacific Hurricane Center will take over forecasting for this storm. The Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM core satellite showed a double eye-wall in Hurricane Jimena on September 1 as it moved through the Eastern Pacific and into the Central Pacific Ocean.
  • R1r Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Ignacio 22-27 August 2003 Miles B

    R1r Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Ignacio 22-27 August 2003 Miles B

    Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Ignacio 22-27 August 2003 Miles B. Lawrence National Hurricane Center 8 December 2003 Ignacio impacted the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula with torrential rains and hurricane-force winds. Two deaths were reported. a. Synoptic History Ignacio is believed to have originated from a tropical wave that moved from Africa to the tropical Atlantic Ocean on 6 August. The wave continued westward without distinction and moved across Central America to the Pacific Ocean on 16 August. Cloudiness associated with the wave gradually increased and became organized into a distinct area of disturbed weather by 20 August over Pacific waters just south of Manzanillo, Mexico. It took an additional two days for the disturbed weather to become well-enough organized to be classified as a tropical depression. At that time, it was centered about 100 n mi west of the Mexican mainland and also about 190 n mi southeast of the southern tip of Baja California. The “best track” chart of the tropical cyclone’s path starts on 22 August and is plotted on Fig. 1. Best track wind and pressure histories are shown in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively. The best track positions and intensities are listed in Table 1. A mid-level sub-tropical ridge lay to the north of Ignacio throughout its lifetime. However Ignacio was embedded in a weakness within the ridge and this resuted in a slow, mostly northwestward motion, with a forward speed of 5 kt or less. The depression quickly strengthened, to Tropical Storm Ignacio early on 23 August and to a hurricane early on 24 August.
  • Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) Wind Speed Retrievals and Validation Using

    Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) Wind Speed Retrievals and Validation Using

    1 Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) Wind Speed Retrievals and Validation Using 2 Dropsondes 3 4 Daniel J. Cecil1 and Sayak K. Biswas2 5 6 1 NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 7 2 Universities Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL 8 9 10 11 Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 12 13 14 15 Corresponding author email: [email protected] 16 17 Abstract 18 Surface wind speed retrievals have been generated and evaluated using Hurricane 19 Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) measurements from flights over Hurricane Joaquin, Hurricane 20 Patricia, Hurricane Marty, and the remnants of Tropical Storm Erika, all in 2015. Procedures are 21 described here for producing maps of brightness temperature, which are subsequently used for 22 retrievals of surface wind speed and rain rate across a ~50 km wide swath for each flight leg. An 23 iterative retrieval approach has been developed to take advantage of HIRAD’s measurement 24 characteristics. Validation of the wind speed retrievals has been conducted, using 636 25 dropsondes released from the same WB-57 high altitude aircraft carrying HIRAD during the 26 Tropical Cyclone Intensity (TCI) experiment. 27 The HIRAD wind speed retrievals exhibit very small bias relative to the dropsondes, for 28 winds tropical storm strength (17.5 m s-1) or greater. HIRAD has reduced sensitivity to winds 29 weaker than tropical storm strength, and a small positive bias (~2 m s-1) there. Two flights with 30 predominantly weak winds according to the dropsondes have abnormally large errors from 31 HIRAD, and large positive biases. From the other flights, root mean square differences between 32 HIRAD and the dropsonde winds are 4.1 m s-1 (33%) for winds below tropical storm strength, 33 5.6 m s-1 (25%) for tropical storm strength winds, and 6.3 m s-1 (16%) for hurricane strength 34 winds.