NASA Animation Shows Hurricane Marie Winding Down
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NOAA's GOES-West satellite keeps a continuous eye on the Eastern Pacific and has been covering Hurricane Marie since birth. NASA's GOES Project uses NOAA data and creates animations and did so to show the end of Hurricane Marie.
At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on Friday, August 29, Marie became a post-tropical storm about 985 miles (1,595 km) west-southwest of San Diego, California. It was last centered near 27.6 north and 132.5 west. Marie's maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph (65 kph) and it was moving to the northwest at 14 mph (22 kph). Marie has moved over cooler waters, which has sapped evaporation and thunderstorm development.
The National Hurricane Center noted that there was no organized deep convection within the circulation of the system for many hours during the morning of August 29, so Marie had transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone.
NASA created a video of NOAA's GOES-West satellite imagery from Aug. 26-29 showed Hurricane Marie winding down into a post-tropical storm on August 29. NASA/NOAA's GOES Project is located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. The animation showed that Marie's structure was blown apart and the bulk of the clouds and showers were north of the center.
While Marie continues to weaken, ocean swells are expected to subside over the next day along the west coast of the Baja California peninsula and along the coast of southern California. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions are still likely as a result of these swells. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. Marie will continue to spin down into hurricane history.
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA Sees a Weaker Tropical Storm Marie
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When NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured an image of what is now Tropical Storm Marie, weakened from hurricane status on August 28, the strongest thunderstorms were located in the southern quadrant of the storm.
NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured an image of Marie on August 28 at 11 a.m. EDT. Bands of thunderstorms circled the storm especially to the north. The National Hurricane Center noted that Marie has continued to produce a small area of convection (rising air that forms the thunderstorms that make up Marie) south and east of the center during some hours on the morning of August 28. The GOES image was created by the NASA/NOAA GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Infrared data, such as that from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite showed that cloud tops had warmed. Warming cloud tops means that the strength in the uplift of air (that pushes cloud tops higher into the colder levels of the atmosphere) has weakened, and clouds are not getting as high as they did before. The higher the thunderstorms, the stronger they usually are, but Marie's are dropping in height.
Marie is not able to generate strong thunderstorms because it has moved over cooler waters. Sea surface temperatures of at least 80 F (26.6 C) are needed to maintain a hurricane's strength. Marie is in waters as cool as 22C (71.6F).
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) Marie's maximum sustained winds were down to 45 mph (75 kph) and weakening. Marie was centered near latitude 25.4 north and longitude 128.9 west, about 865 miles (1,395 km) west of Punta Eugenia, Mexico. Marie is moving northwest at 15 mph (24 kph).
The NHC expects Marie should become post-tropical by tonight, August 28. Meanwhile Marie continues kicking up rough surf. Large southerly swells affecting much of the west coast of the Baja California peninsula and the coast of southern California will gradually subside through Friday, August 29. These swells could still produce life-threatening surf and rip currents, as well as minor coastal flooding around the time of high tide.
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
[image-128][image-144]Aug. 27, 2014 - NASA Sees Massive Marie Close Enough to Affect Southern California Coast
Two NASA satellites captured visible and infrared pictures that show the massive size of Hurricane Marie. Marie is so large that it is bringing rough surf to the southern coast of California while almost nine hundred miles west of Baja California.
On August 26 at 19:05 UTC (3:05 p.m. EDT) NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible image of Hurricane Marie drawing in the small remnants of Karina. Marie is over 400 miles in diameter, about the distance from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 205 miles (335 km).
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite gathered infrared data on Marie when it passed overhead on Aug. 27 at 6:14 a.m. EDT. An infrared image created from that data showed the coldest cloud top temperatures and strongest thunderstorms were around Marie's center and southern quadrant.
Because of Marie's large size and its movement to the north, it is creating rough surf that is now reaching southern California's shoreline. The National Hurricane Center noted that swells generated by Marie will continue to affect much of the west coast of the Baja California, Mexico peninsula and now including the extreme southern Gulf of California and southern California through Thursday, August 28. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions are likely as a result of these swells as well as minor coastal flooding.
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) Marie's maximum sustained winds had decreased to near 75 mph (120 kph). Marie was centered near latitude 22.3 north and longitude 123.7 west. That's about 880 miles (1,415 km) west of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Marie is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph (22 kph) and is expected to turn to the northwest.
As Marie moves in a northerly direction it will be moving over progressively colder waters so the National Hurricane Center forecasts additional weakening in the next two days. My Thursday, Marie is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone.
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
[image-96][image-112]Aug. 26, 2014 - NASA Sees Huge Hurricane Marie Slam Socorro Island
NASA's Terra satellite passed over Hurricane Marie when its eye was just to the west of Socorro Island in the Eastern Pacific. Marie's eye may have been near the island, but the storm extended several hundreds of miles from there.
On Aug. 25 at 18:20 UTC (2:20 p.m. EDT) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured Hurricane Marie's center just west of Socorro Island. The image showed Marie's tightly wound center and eye. A thick band of powerful thunderstorms surrounded the center of circulation, and bands of thunderstorms spiraled into the center from the west, that wrapped entirely around the outside perimeter. The image was created by the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Mexico's Socorro Island is a small volcanic island located about 600 kilometers off the country's western coast. There are about 45 people on the island including the residents of a naval station. Socorro Island was pummeled with heavy rainfall, hurricane-force winds and high, dangerous surf.
Marie is also generating dangerous surf along the western coast of mainland Mexico. Swells generated by Marie are affecting much of the Baja California peninsula and the southern Gulf of California. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted that these swells are spreading northwestward and will reach the southern California later today. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions are likely as a result of these swells...as well as minor coastal flooding.
An infrared image of Hurricane Marie was captured on Aug. 26 at 5:35 a.m. EDT from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The AIRS image revealed very cold cloud top temperatures in powerful thunderstorms circling the eye of the storm. The National Hurricane Center noted that microwave data show that Marie continues to have a complicated inner core structure, with a remnant inner eyewall surrounded by a pair of larger concentric eyewall rings.
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) today, August 26, Marie had been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale as maximum sustained winds dropped to 100 mph (155 kph). NHC expects Marie to continue weakening and to become a tropical storm by August 27. Marie was located near 20.7 north latitude and 119.0 west longitude, about 605 miles (970 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Marie is moving to the west-northwest near 15 mph (24 kph) and is expected to continue in that general direction.
The MODIS image confirmed that Marie is a large hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend out 60 miles (95 km) from the center. The total diameter of the storm is about 600 miles as tropical-storm-force winds extend 275 miles (445 km) from the center.
For the latest updates (in Spanish) from the Mexican Weather Service, please visit: http://smn.cna.gob.mx/
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
[image-80]Aug. 25, 2014 - NASA Sees Marie Become a Major Hurricane, Causing Dangerous Surf
The National Hurricane Center expected Marie to become a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) and it did. On August 24, when NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead, Marie reached Category 4 hurricane status and maintained strength on August 25. Marie continues to cause dangerous surf along the west coast of Mexico.
The MODIS instrument (or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite took a visible picture of Hurricane Marie as it reached Category 4 hurricane status off the west coast of Mexico on August 24 at 20:40 UTC (4:40 p.m. EDT). The image showed an eye and good formation of a mature hurricane. Bands of thunderstorms spiraled into the center from the west and the south.
Forecaster Cangialosi of the National Hurricane Center noted on August 25, "Marie has an impressive concentric eyewall structure in recent microwave images. The inner eyewall surrounds the 15 nautical mile diameter circular eye, and the outer one extends about 40 to 50 nautical miles from the center."
The National Hurricane Center warns that swells generated by Marie are affecting the southwestern coast of Mexico. These swells will spread northwestward along the west coast of the Baja California peninsula and the southern Gulf of California during the next couple of days and are likely to cause extremely dangerous life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
On August 24, Marie's maximum sustained winds had increased to near 135 mph (215 kph) and the estimated minimum central pressure was 944 millibars. When NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhear Marie was centered near 16.1 north and 109.9 west. That's about 420 miles (675 km) west-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico.
At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on August 25, Marie's maximum sustained winds had increased to 145 mph (230 kph), and the National Hurricane Center noted that some fluctuations in strength are possible. The center of Hurricane Marie was located near latitude 17.3 north and longitude 113.9 west. That's about 465 miles (750 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California. Marie was moving to the west-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph) and is expected to continue in that direction.
The National Hurricane Center expects Marie to weaken below major hurricane status by Tuesday, August 26 while still bringing dangerous surf to western Mexico and Baja California.
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
[image-51]Aug. 22, 2014 - NASA's Infrared Data Shows Newborn Tropical Storm Marie Came Together
Powerful thunderstorms in newborn Tropical Storm Marie were seen stretching toward the top of the troposphere in infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite.
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Marie on Aug. 21 at 20:05 UTC when it was still classified as a low pressure area. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard Aqua read cloud top temperatures in the storm, and showed cloud tops as cold as -63F/-52C around the storm's center and in bands of thunderstorms east and south of the center. AIRS data showed that Marie is located in very warm waters with surface temperatures near 30 Celsius (85 Fahrenheit), which will assist the storm in development and intensification. Sea surface temperatures of at least 26.6C (80F) are needed to maintain a tropical cyclone, while warmer sea surface temperatures can help in evaporation and thunderstorm development.
[image-36]Marie came together off of Mexico's southwestern coast at 11 p.m. EDT on August 21 consolidating into Tropical Depression 13-E. By 5 a.m. EDT on August 22, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Marie.
Marie's maximum sustained winds increased to near 45 mph (75 kph) and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects rapid intensification. In fact, forecasters expect Marie to become a hurricane late in the day on August 22 and reach major hurricane status (Category 3 or greater on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale) by Monday, August 25.
At 5 a.m. EDT, August 22, the center of Tropical Storm Marie was located near latitude 12.8 north and longitude 101.0 west. Marie is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 kph) and is expected to slow as it intensifies. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1004 millibars.
The NHC noted that satellite microwave data showed that Marie has a well-defined low-level ring, which can often be a precursor to rapid intensification if environmental conditions are favorable.
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
