NASA Infrared Data Shows a Shrunken Tropical Depression Erick
Infrared imagery from the AIRS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite revealed that Erick, now a tropical depression has reduced in strength and size and continues to weaken.[image-110]
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite flew over Tropical Depression Erick late on July 8 and captured an infrared image that revealed Erick was quickly weakening. The AIRS image taken on July 8 at 4:17 p.m. EDT showed a small area of clouds and circulation near the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. The strongest thunderstorms with cloud top temperatures as cold as -63F/-52C, were clustered around the low-level circulation center. The National Hurricane Center noted that the strong convection (rising air that forms the thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone) has been diminishing greatly since 5 a.m. EDT on July 8.
At 5 a.m. EDT/2 a.m. PDT/0900 UTC, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Tropical Depression Erick’s maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph (55 kph). Erick’s center was located near latitude 23.9 north and longitude 112.4 west, about 65 miles (100 km) south of Cabo San Lazaro, Mexico. Erick is moving northwest at 10 mph (17 kph) and is expected to turn west-northwest. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 millibars.
Because Erick is over cool waters and will be moving over even cooler waters, NHC noted that significant regeneration of deep convection is unlikely. Erick should gradually spin down become a remnant low pressure area later today.
Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
July 8, 2013 - NASA’s TRMM Satellite Sees Tropical Storm Erick Along Mexican Coast
Tropical Storm Erick has been bringing some rain and rough surf along the southwestern coast of Mexico for a couple of days, and on July 7, 2013, NASA’s TRMM satellite saw two areas of heavy rain within Erick on opposite ends of the storm. Meanwhile, the rainfall from the remnants of nearby Tropical Depression Dalila had dissipated.[image-78]
When NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite passed over Tropical Storm Erick on Sunday, July 7, it measured rainfall rates as seen from space. TRMM showed that the northeastern quadrant and southwestern quadrants had the strongest areas of rainfall. Small areas in each quadrant showed rainfall rates near 2 inches/50 mm per hour.
The southwestern quadrant was over the open waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, while the northeastern quadrant was near the towns of Acponeta and Tecuala, in the northern part of the Mexican state of Nayarit. Both towns are located south of Mazatlan along the southwestern coast of Mexico.[image-94]
TRMM data also showed that a thunderstorm that was generating one of the areas of heavy rainfall was almost 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) high.
A tropical storm warning is in force for Baja California Sur from Santa Fe to La Paz, and the National Hurricane Center expects rainfall totals of between 1 and 3 inches over the southern Baja California peninsula. Rough surf and ocean swells are already affecting southern Baja California later and can cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.
At 9 a.m. EDT/6 a.m. PDT, La Paz on the southern tip of Baja California had overcast skies, while Mazatlan on the southwestern coast of mainland Mexico had showers from the eastern-most extent of Tropical Storm Erick.
At 5 a.m. PDT (8 a.m. EDT), the center of Tropical Storm Erick was about 85 miles (135 km) south of the southern tip of Baja California, near latitude 21.7 north and longitude 109.7 west. Maximum sustained winds were near 50 mph (85 kph) and Erick is forecast to weaken over the next two days. The estimated minimum central pressure is 998 millibars.
Erick was moving toward the northwest near 9 mph (15 kph) and is expected to continue in that direction for a day or two before turning to the west-northwest by July 10. The center of Erick is expected to pass just south of the tip of Baja California later today.
Meanwhile, nearby Tropical Depression Dalia has dissipated. On Sunday, July 7, Dalila became a remnant low pressure area and was downgraded as of 5 a.m. EDT. Dalila's remnants were last located near 16.8 north and 113.0 west, about 465 miles (750 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Maximum sustained winds were near 30 mph (45 kph) at that time and the remnants were crawling to the southeast at 1 mph (2 kph). Dalila weakened further overnight and dissipated early on July 8.
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
July 05, 2013 - Satellites See Ups and Downs of Two Tropical Eastern Pacific Systems
[image-51]There are two tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on July 5 and one is powering up and one is powering down. NOAA’s GOES-15 satellite captured Tropical Depression Dalila and Tropical Storm Erick, both off the western coast of Mexico. Because Erick is strengthening and is close to the coast, tropical storm warnings have gone into effect for Mexico.
Tropical Depression Dalila has weakened from a Category 1 hurricane status and is expected to dissipate in the next day or two. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Erick grew from a low pressure area called System 97E into the fifth tropical depression on July 4 and then into a tropical storm later in the day.
NOAA’s GOES-15 satellite captured an image of the two tropical cyclones just before daylight reached the Pacific coast on July 5 at 1200 UTC (8 a.m. EDT/5 a.m. PDT). In the GOES-15 infrared image, Tropical Storm Erick is 550 nautical miles east of the much smaller Tropical Depression Dalila. Because of the close proximity of the storms, the National Hurricane Center bulletin of July 5 at 11 a.m. EDT noted Tropical Depression Dalila does not have much of a future as a tropical cyclone due to moderate southeasterly vertical wind shear being created by the outflow from Tropical Storm Erick.
NOAA manages the GOES-15 satellite, and the NASA GOES Project at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. created the image.
Tropical Depression Dalila
At 11 a.m. EDT on July 4, Dalila was a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph (65 kph). It was centered near 17.4 north and 109.8 west, about 380 miles (610 km) south of the southern tip of Baja California.
Twenty-four hours later at 11 a.m. EDT on July 5, Dalila had weakened further and was a tropical depression. At that time, Dalila’s maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph (55 kph). It had moved to 17.1 north and 111.7 west, about 415 miles (670 km) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Dalila was still moving to the west, but had slowed to 3 mph (6 kph) and had a minimum central pressure of 1006 millibars.
There are two things that are forcing Dalila's demise: dry air and wind shear. Wind shear from the east has been battering Dalila and dry air has moved into the storm suppressing formation of thunderstorms. Dalila is expected to become a remnant low in the next day or two.
Tropical Storm Erick
Tropical storm warnings are now in effect for the coast of southwestern Mexico eastward to Zihautanejo and westward to La Fortuna, Mexico. There is also a tropical storm watch now in effect for the coast of southwestern Mexico from west of La Fortuna to Cabo Corrientes.
Those warnings and watches are in effect as of July 5 because Tropical Storm Erick is near the coast and strengthening. The National Hurricane Center expects Erick may strengthen to hurricane force by Saturday, July 6. That would make Erick the fourth hurricane of the Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season out of five storms to form.
At 11 a.m. EDT on July 5, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted the Erick was located about 150 miles (245 km) south of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, near latitude 15.8 north and longitude 102.1 west. Erick’s maximum sustained winds had grown to 60 mph (95 kph) and strengthening is expected. Erick is moving to the west-northwest near 10 mph (17 kph) and is expected to continue moving in that direction over the next several days.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km) from the center and the GOES-15 imagery shows that Erick’s cloud cover has a larger extent.
Residents in the warning area can expect3 to 5 inches over southwestern Oaxaca, southern Guerrero, southern Michoaca, Colima, and southern Jalisco, Mexico. The NHC noted that isolated totals could reach up to 8 inches in those areas. Tropical-storm-force winds are expected in the warning area today, July 5 and on July 6. Coastal areas can also expect rough surf as Erick moves up the coast.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
