- NASA Home
- | Missions
- | Hurricanes
- | Archives
- | 2007
Featured Images
Hurricane Season 2007: Noel (Atlantic)
10.29.07
Tropical Storm Noel pounded the Dominican Republic with heavy rain as it passed over the island on October 28 and October 29, 2007. The rainfall flooded low-lying areas, such as the area shown in this pair of images. The top image was captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) flying onboard NASA’s Terra satellite on November 6, 2007. A comparison of this image with one ASTER took a year earlier reveals how damaging Tropical Storm Noel was to the region.
Image credit: Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan
Related Link:
+ Read the full story and get high-resolution images from NASA's Earth Observatory
Hurricane Noel Now a Bad Memory for the Atlantic
Hurricane Noel was the deadliest storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season so far. The season ends officially on November 30.
Click image for enlargement.
Noel brought gusty winds and heavy rains to coastal New England and Nova Scotia, Canada this past weekend before falling apart and heading into the North Atlantic Ocean. On Nov. 5, Noel had become an extratropical low in the northern Atlantic Ocean and part of a stationary front.
Noel was the 14th named storm this hurricane season, and is responsible for more than 120 dead. Noel's wrath was felt most in the Caribbean where it took those lives and left tens of thousands homeless, mostly in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which share the island of Hispaniola.
This is a satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-12 (GOES-12). The area of cloudiness to the top right of the image are the remnant clouds from Noel mixing with clouds from a stationary front. This image was created on Nov. 5 at 12:02 p.m. EST by NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Noel's Wrath on Coastal New England and Eastern Canada
On Saturday, Nov. 3, as Noel moved northward to Canada, it brought heavy rains and 85 mph gusts to Cape Cod, Massachusetts downing trees and power lines and causing outages. Up to 50,000 residents were without power.
Noel started affecting Canada on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 3 as strong winds and rain moved into southwestern Canadian Maritimes. By Saturday night and Sunday, Noel moved into eastern Canada. The fringes of Noel even brought snow to northwestern New Brunswick, southeastern Québec and Labrador.
During the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 4, Noel's center reached the southwest coast of Nova Scotia, packing maximum sustained winds of 140 km/hr (86 mph). Noel's hurricane-force winds downed trees and power lines and caused 170,000 people to lose power throughout Nova Scotia, Canada. By Sunday afternoon the storm was over Labrador and fully extra-tropical in nature.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre reported rainfall amounts and maximum wind gusts in towns through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and other areas. In New Brunswick, the town of Meadowbrook reported the greatest amount of rainfall at 112.3 mm (4.4 inches). The town of Moncton reported the strongest maximum wind gust at 96 km/hour (60 mph).
Nova Scotia had the most consistent reports of high winds, many towns reporting sustained winds over 100 km/hour (62 mph). Some of those include: Baccaro Point with 126 km/hour gusts (78 mph); McNabs Island with 135 km/hour gusts (83 mph), Halifax with 113 km/hour gusts (70 mph); Caribou Point with gusts to 122 km/hour (76 mph); Beaver Island peaking at 137 km/hour (85 mph); and the strongest winds at Grand Etang at 146 km/hour (91 mph).
On Prince Edward Island, two towns, North Point and East Point, reported maximum wind gusts to 111 km/hour (69 mph). Meanwhile, Grindstone Island, one of the Magdalen Islands reported a maximum wind gust of 115 km (72 mph). hour, with 26.6 mm (1.04 inches) of rainfall.
By 6:00 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time on Nov. 4, the Canadian Hurricane Centre of Environment Canada had issued its last bulletin on Noel. At that time, Noel had become "completely extratropical."
Rob Gutro
Goddard Space Flight Center
Image credit: NASA GOES Project
Hurricane Noel Will Bring Weekend Strong Winds to the U.S. East Coast, Rains to New England
Click image for enlargement.
Hurricane Noel is expected to lose its tropical characteristics late Friday, Nov. 2 and develop into an intense extra-tropical low pressure system. It will drift along the east coast and may bring very strong north to northeast winds from the mid-Atlantic to the far northeast reaches of Maine. New England will also experience rainfall, heavy at times, that the mid-Atlantic won't see.
This image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-12 (GOES-12) shows Hurricane Noel's clouds stretching from Cuba, all along the U.S. east Coast. This image was created on Nov. 2 at 10:01 a.m. EDT (14:01 UTC) by NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Where is Noel, Where is Noel Going?
At 11:00 a.m. EDT, on Friday Nov. 2, Noel was located near latitude 29.2 north and longitude 73.8 west or about 575 miles west-southwest of Bermuda and about 425 miles south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Noel is moving toward the north-northeast near 17 mph and is expected to speed up in the next 24 hours. Noel is also forecast to turn back to the north-northeast. Maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph with higher gusts, so Noel is a Category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Minimum central pressure is 981 millibars.
High Wind Watches Up From Boston to Bangor for Weekend
Boston and southern New England have posted High Wind Watches for Saturday and expecting heavy rains. As Noel continues north, it will come close enough to New England to bring rainfall. Maximum isolated rainfall totals can be as much as 6 inches across eastern New England. The National Weather Service advisory says "Damaging winds are possible Saturday in Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts as the remnants of Hurricane Noel track southeast of Nantucket. Damaging north to northeast winds are possible Saturday, especially during the late morning and afternoon hours. The high winds will subside during early Saturday evening. The greatest threat for damaging winds will be on Cape Cod and the islands. Sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph are possible with gusts up to 75 mph there."
The National Weather Service in Bangor noted "Very strong winds associated with intense low pressure may affect downeast Maine Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. North to northeast winds will increase to 25 to 40 mph with gusts to 65 mph! Power outages in eastern Maine are possible with these winds.
New York Region: Coastal Flood Watch and Gusty Winds
Further south, a Coastal Flood Watch has been posted for New York, and minor coastal flooding across the shorelines of western Long Island Sound and New York Harbor is possible. Winds in the New York City area Friday night and Saturday could gust as high as 45 mph.
Coastal New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia to Feel Strong Effects
Coastal areas of southern Delaware, central and southern New Jersey will feel strong effects from winds, some rain and heavy surf. On Friday, from Ocean City, N.J. south to Ocean City, Maryland and further south to Virginia Beach, Va. posted Coastal Flood Watches, High Surf Advisories and High Wind Warnings with winds expected to gust to 55 mph Friday night into Saturday mid-day. Although still dealing with a drought, no rain will reach the cities of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Md or Philadelphia, Penn.
North and South Carolina Being Affected First
As Noel moves along the U.S. east coast, South and North Carolina coastal areas will feel the effects today, Friday, Nov. 2. Coastal areas in both states have posted Coastal Flood Warnings, High Surf Advisories, and High Wind Warnings. In Nags Head, NC, winds are expected up to 38 mph today, tonight and until mid-day Saturday. Noel is expected to produce rainfall amounts of up to one inch across the Outer Banks. Meanwhile, Charleston, South Carolina won't experience any rain, but will get the winds. A Coastal Flood Statement and High Surf Advisory are posted for Friday until 5 p.m. EDT. Winds are expected to gust to 25 mph Friday and Friday night, diminishing on Saturday morning.
NASA Satellite Looks at Rain Falling in Noel at Sea
Click image for enlargement.
NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured a look at Hurricane Noel's rainfall on Friday morning, Nov. 2 at 3:09 a.m. EDT (7:09 UTC). The TRMM satellite image shows the horizontal pattern of rain intensity within the Noel. It shows the heaviest rainfall in the north and northeast areas of the storm at between 20 and 30 millimeters (.78 to 1.18 inch) of rain per hour.
Click image for enlargement.
NASA's TRMM Satellite Measures Noel's Rainfall from Space!
The TRMM satellite's main mission is measuring rainfall in the Tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar sensors.
This is an image of the total rainfall accumulation from Noel through Nov. 1, showing the very high rain amounts (over 400 millimeters, or 16 inches) that fell in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas during Noel's trek through there. Most of the west side of Hispaniola received at least 150 mm (~6 inches) of rain (shown in yellow). Rainfall totals over Haiti were much less but still significant, ranging from about 1 to 6 inches (shown by the blue and green areas).
For more information about how TRMM looks at rainfall, visit NASA's TRMM website. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.
Rob Gutro (from NHC and NWS reports)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Images credit: NASA GOES Project; NASA/SSAI Hal Pierce; SSAI/NASA GSFC, Hal Pierce
Tropical Storm Noel Slowly Moving Through the Bahamas, Away From Florida
Click image for enlargement.
Southeastern Florida residents are breathing a little sigh of relief on Nov. 1, as Tropical Storm Noel is now turning to the north-northeast, and heading away from Florida. However, Noel's far-reaching effects are being felt in southeast Florida and in the Bahamas today.
At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Nov. 1, the tropical storm watch north of Deerfield Beach, Florida was dropped and the tropical storm warning from north of Ocean Reef to Deerfield Beach, Fla. is expected to be dropped later today, as Noel has turned to the north-northeast and is headed to sea. There are still wind and small craft advisories in effect for southeast Florida, however.
Tropical Storm Warnings are still in effect for the Bahamas, where Noel is bringing the islands gusty winds and rains.
This image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-12 (GOES-12) shows the center of Tropical Storm Noel in the Bahamas. Florida is evident to the east of the storm. This image was created on Nov. 1 at 10:45 a.m. EDT (14:45 UTC) by NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Where is Noel?
At 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500z) the center of Tropical Storm Noel was located near latitude 23.5 north and longitude 77.8 west or about 45 miles southwest of Nassau and about 175 miles east-southeast of Miami, Florida. Noel is moving toward the north-northeast near 9 mph, and the National Hurricane Center forecasts in increase in forward speed over the next day. On that track, Noel's center will be moving through the northwestern Bahamas today, Nov. 1 and slowing moving away from the Florida coast. Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph with higher gusts and some strengthening is possible later today. Noel's minimum central pressure is 995 millibars.
A Long-Reaching Storm
Noel is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 5 to 10 inches in the Bahamas, with possible maximum amounts of 18 inches. Additional rainfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are expected over eastern Cuba and Hispaniola, where these rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. Additional rainfall amounts of less than 1 inch are expected in southeastern Florida.
Miami's Windy, Wet Forecast for Nov. 1
Rain and wind is in the forecast for Miami today, Nov. 1 in the form of scattered showers. The National Weather Service Forecast predicts scattered showers and mostly cloudy skies with a high near 85. Windy conditions with a north wind around 26 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. The forecast tonight calls for mostly cloudy skies and scattered showers, mainly before 8pm with a low around 74. Windy, with a north wind between 20 and 26 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Updated forecasts are available from the National Weather Service's seven-day outlook Web page for Miami.
Click image for enlargement.
This satellite image of Noel was created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite. The satellite only captured the western half of the storm as it flew above in space (which is why the right side is separated by a line in the light blue area).
It shows the temperature of Noel's cloud tops on Oct. 29 at 17:41 UTC (1:41 p.m. EDT). The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up Noel's center, positioned in the Bahamas. There are large areas of strong convection (rising air and rainfall) shown here in purple. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red).
Noel Speeding Up, Moving Out, NASA Satellites Watching
Click image for enlargement.
Tropical Storm Noel is on the move at 2:00 p.m. EDT, Nov. 1. Noel's center was located near latitude 25.0 north and longitude 77.4 west, near Nassau in the Bahamas. Noel is moving toward the north-northeast near 14 mph and a further increase in forward speed is expected over the next 24 hours. Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph, and some strengthening is possible. Minimum central pressure was 993 millibars.
Tropical Storm Noel doesn't have a chance of escaping the view of NASA's satellites. NASA's QuikSCAT satellite is monitoring Noel's winds and rains from space, while CloudSat checks out the clouds and their height, which is an indication of the storm's strength.
This image from NASA's QuikSCAT satellite was taken at 11:12 UTC or 7:12 a.m. EDT Nov. 1. It depicts Noel's wind speed in color and wind direction with small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. The highest wind speeds, are shown in purple, which indicate winds over 40 knots (46 mph).
Click image for enlargement.
NASA's CloudSat satellite's Cloud Profiling Radar captured a sideways look across Tropical Storm Noel on Oct. 30 at 18:26 UTC (2:26 p.m. EDT) when it was centered over Cuba and raining hard over both eastern Cuba and Hispaniola. The top image is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), and the image was supplied through the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.
The image on the bottom is from NASA's CloudSat satellite. The red line through the GOES satellite image shows the vertical cross section of radar, basically what Noel's clouds looked like sideways. The colors indicate the intensity of the reflected radar energy. The top of Noel's clouds reach almost up to 15 kilometers, or approximately 9.3 miles high. These high cloud tops indicate a strong storm.
The blue areas along the top of the clouds indicates cloud ice, while the wavy blue lines on the bottom center of the image indicate intense rainfall. Notice that the solid line along the bottom of the panel, which is the ground, disappears in this area of intense precipitation. It is likely that in the area the precipitation rate exceeds 30mm/hr (1.18 inches/hour) based on previous studies.
Rob Gutro (from NHC Reports)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Images credit: NASA GOES Project; NASA/JPL; NASA/JPL; NASA/JPL/Colorado State University/Naval Research Laboratory-Monterey
Tropical Storm Noel: No Trick or Treat, Headed to the Bahamas
Click image for enlargement.
Tropical Storm Noel lashed Hispaniola and Cuba with heavy rainfall, and on the morning of Halloween, Oct. 31, Noel exited Cuba and is headed to the Bahamas.
At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Halloween, Tropical Storm Noel re-strengthened after moving off the northern coast of Cuba and into open waters. The Bahamas are now expecting the ghoulish storm to hit on Thursday, Nov. 1. Noel is already responsible for at least 30 deaths, according to reports.
Halloween morning has brought tropical storm warnings in effect for the central and northwestern Bahamas. Southern Florida is also keeping an eye on Noel as the storm's wind field approaches, and the current wind advisory may be replaced with a tropical storm warning. Either way, forecasters are expecting gale force and tropical storm force winds in south Florida's coastal areas until 11:00 a.m. EDT, Nov. 1.
NASA's Aqua satellite is eyeing the storm carefully. Aqua carries the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument, which captured Noel's clouds on Oct. 31 at 1:30 a.m. EDT. The AIRS images show the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops associated with showers and thunderstorms. The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red).
Where is Noel?
At 11:00 a.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Noel was located near latitude 22.7 north and longitude 78.5 west or about 175 miles south-southwest of Nassau. Noel is moving toward the north-northwest near 8 mph and a turn to the north is expected later today. Maximum sustained winds have increased and now are near 50 mph with higher gusts. Some additional strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours. Estimated minimum central pressure is 994 millibars.
What Will Noel Do to the Bahamas?
According to the National Hurricane Center, "Above normal tides are likely within the warning areas. Noel is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 5 to 10 inches, with possible maximum amounts of 15 inches over the Bahamas and eastern Cuba. Additional rainfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are expected over Hispaniola."
Click image for enlargement.
Tropical Storm Noel Delivers Heavy Rains, Flooding To Hispaniola
After forming just south of Hispaniola on Oct. 28, Tropical Storm Noel made landfall on the Haitian side of the island on the morning of the 29th with sustained winds reported at 45 knots (52 mph).
Even before making landfall, Noel began to soak the island with heavy downpours. Despite the center of circulation passing over Haiti on the western side of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic located on the eastern side of the island felt the brunt of the rain. The storm's asymmetric structure with most of the rain occurring east of the center as well as southerly winds wrapping around that same right side of the storm combined to bring numerous showers and abundant moisture to the Dominican Republic.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite came into service in November of 1997 with the primary mission of measuring rainfall in the Tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar sensors. The TRMM- based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global Tropics. MPA rainfall totals are shown here for the period 26 to 30 October 2007 for Hispaniola and the surrounding region. The highest rainfall totals (shown in the darkest red) are over the south-central Dominican Republic and are on the order of 400 mm (~16 inches). Most of that side of Hispaniola received at least 150 mm (~6 inches) of rain (shown in yellow). Rainfall totals over Haiti were much less but still significant, ranging from about 1 to 6 inches (shown by the blue and green areas). So far at 20 people are reported to have died with several still missing. After passing Haiti, Noel curved westward over Cuba. The storm is expected to turn northeastward and parallel the Eastern Seaboard.
Rob Gutro, Goddard Space Flight Center
Steve Lang SSAI/NASA GSFC
Images credit: NASA/JPL;SSAI/NASA GSFC, Hal Pierce
Tropical Storm Noel Image Captured October 28, 2007
Tropical Depression 16 was intensifying into Tropical Storm Noel late in the morning of October 28, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image. Though still weak, the storm was beginning to take the distinct shape of a tropical cyclone. A dense circle of clouds converged over the Caribbean Sea just south of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and a long tail of clouds curled over Puerto Rico. Shadows cast by towering thunderstorm clouds make the cloud layer appear to be boiling in places.
Related Link:
+ Full Story and High-Resolution Images from NASA's Earth Observatory
Image credit: MODIS Rapid Response
Tropical Storm Noel Bringing Dangerous Rains to Hispanola and Cuba
Click image for enlargement.
Imagine receiving up to 30 inches of rain in one or two days. That is the danger that Tropical Storm Noel is posing on Oct. 30 to isolated areas of Hispanola, a Caribbean island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
At 11:00 a.m. EDT, on Oct. 30, 2007 Tropical Storm Noel was raining hard over eastern Cuba and Hispaniola. The National Hurricane Center reports "Radar imagery from Camaguey, Cuba, and surface observations clearly indicate that the center of Noel remains inland over eastern Cuba. However, rains still extend well away from the center in the eastern semicircle. That means continuing heavy rains for Hispaniola have also spread into the Bahamas."
Noel is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 10 to 20 inches over Hispaniola with possible isolated maximum totals of 30 inches! Total accumulations of 5 to 10 inches with possible maximum amounts of 15 inches are possible over southeastern Cuba and the Bahamas. These rains particularly in Hispaniola are expected to cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.
Noel's center is expected to spend most of the day over Cuba, so a Hurricane Hunter aircraft won't be dispatched until the early morning hours on Oct. 31 to check on Noel's strength once he gets back into open water. That's because aircraft do not typically make fixes on the center of storms over land.
Because Noel is expected to stay over land tonight, the Hurricane Center noted that his chances of strengthening into a hurricane before its center hits the Bahamas are less now. Further down the road, Noel is expected to become extratropical in three days.
According to Agence-France Presse, Noel is already responsible for the deaths of 11 people in Hispanola. Thirteen others remain missing.
This satellite image of Noel was created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite. It shows the temperature of Noel's cloud tops on Oct. 29 at 17:41 UTC (1:41 p.m. EDT). The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up Noel. There are large areas of strong convection (rising air and rainfall) shown here in purple. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red).
Where is Noel?
At 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500z) the center of Tropical Storm Noel was located near latitude 21.1 north and longitude 77.4 west or about 40 miles 60 km) east-southeast of Camaguey, Cuba and about 270 miles (435 km) south of Nassau in the northwestern Bahamas. Noel is moving toward the west near 12 mph...19 km/hr. A gradual turn toward the northwest is forecast during the next 24 hours.
Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 km/hr) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 24 hours. Estimated minimum pressure is 1001 millibars.
Click image for enlargement.
This image from NASA's QuikSCAT satellite was taken on Oct. 29 as it was making landfall in Hispaniola, the dark gray area just north of the center of the storm. It shows Noel's wind speed in color and wind direction with small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. The highest wind speeds, are shown in purple, which indicate winds over 40 knots (46 mph).
What's In Store for South Florida with Noel?
The National Hurricane Center noted "The strong gusty winds currently affecting portions of Florida on Oct. 30 are associated with a strong high pressure system to the north and are not directly related to the circulation of Noel." However, interests in southern Florida should monitor the progress of Noel. A tropical storm watch could be required for portions of southeast Florida later today or tonight.
There are currently a number of watches and warnings already posted for south east Florida on Oct. 30. There is a Gale Warning, Wind Advisory, High Wind Watch and Coastal Flood Warning posted. For all the advisories, and the Hazardous Weather Outlook, go to the National Weather Service's Watches, Warnings, and Advisories page for Miami.
Rob Gutro (from NHC Reports)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Images credit: NASA/JPL
'The First Noel' Before Christmas Heads for the Bahamas
Click image for enlargement.
It's less than two months until Christmas, but Tropical Storm Noel doesn't seem to mind its early holiday arrival. In fact, it's appropriate, because hurricane season ends in the Atlantic Ocean on November 30. Noel is actually the fourteenth named storm out of sixteen tropical depressions that formed in the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Noel formed as tropical depression #16 (TD#16) south of Haiti over the weekend on Oct. 27. TD#16 was upgraded to Tropical Storm Noel on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 28.
The image above shows TD#16 when the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite flew over it from space on Oct. 28 at 0200 UTC (10 p.m. EDT). The system was already well organized with heavy rainfall near intense thunderstorms south of the Dominican Republic. Noel was moving toward the north-northwest and was expected to near the southwestern peninsula of Haiti Sunday night.
The TRMM satellite image shows the horizontal pattern of rain intensity within the Noel. It shows the heaviest rainfall in the northwest quadrant of the storm at between 20 and 30 millimeters (.78 to 1.18 inch) of rain per hour (located in the top right area of circulation).
TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.
At 8:00 a.m. EDT, Sunday, Oct. 28, the National Hurricane Center reported heavy rains continuing over Hispanola. At that time, the center of tropical depression sixteen was located near latitude 16.3 north and longitude 72.3 west or about 215 miles southwest of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and about 160 miles south of Port Au Prince, Haiti. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph (35 knots) and minimum central pressure was 1003 millibars.
The next day, Monday, Oct. 29, at 11 a.m. EDT, Noel had become disorganized and was emerging off the northern coast of Haiti, and headed for the Bahamas.
At that time, the government of the Bahamas posted a Tropical Storm Warning for the Central and southeastern Bahamas including Turks and Caicos, meaning that tropical storm conditions are expected in the next 24 hours.
At 11:00 a.m. EDT on Oct. 28, the center of Tropical Storm Noel was estimated near latitude 19.9 north and longitude 73.0 west or about 80 miles (130 km) east-southeast of the eastern tip of Cuba and about 300 miles (500 km) southeast of the central Bahamas. Noel was moving toward the north-northwest near 12 mph (19 km/hr) and this general motion is expected to continue during the next 24 hours. On this track Noel will be moving over the southeastern Bahamas later today and tonight.
Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 km/hr) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 24 hours. Estimated minimum central pressure is 1003 millibars.
Click image for enlargement.
This infrared image from Oct. 29 at 6:47 UTC (2:47 a.m. EDT) was created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite.
This AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of Tropical Storm Noel. The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red). This infrared image shows large areas of strong convection surrounding the core of the storm (in purple), particularly seen in Noel.
Noel is expected to bring heavy rains and winds to the Bahamas, but is expected steer northeast into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean and away from the U.S. mainland.
Related link:
+ NASA's TRMM Web site
Rob Gutro/Hal Pierce
Goddard Space Flight Center
Images credit: Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC); NASA/JPL