Gil (Eastern Pacific)
08.02.13 - NASA Sees Active Tropical Eastern Pacific
Ocean
NOAA's GOES-15 satellite captured a very active
Eastern Pacific ocean on Aug. 2 at 0900 UTC (5 a.m. EDT) with one hurricane and
two developing tropical low pressure areas.
Image Credit: NASA GOES Project
The Eastern Pacific Ocean has kicked into high gear on Aug. 2 and NOAA's
GOES-15 satellite is watching Hurricane Gil and two developing tropical low
pressure areas on both sides of Gil.
NOAA's GOES-15 satellite captured a very active Eastern Pacific ocean on Aug.
2 at 0900 UTC (5 a.m. EDT) with one hurricane and two developing tropical low
pressure areas. System 91E is farthest west and approaching the Central Pacific,
while Hurricane Gil and System 90E trail behind to the east. The GOES-15
infrared image was created at NASA's GOES Project at the NASA Goddard Space
Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
System 91E Headed into Central Pacific Ocean
The low pressure area called "System 91E" has developed about 1,260 miles
east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. The National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. and
the Central Pacific Hurricane Center or CPHC in Honolulu, Hawaii are monitoring
System 91E and expect any development to be slow. Because System 91E is moving
into the Central Pacific Ocean it will soon become the responsibility of the
CPHC. Currently, System 91E has a low chance of becoming a tropical cyclone
during the next 48 hours.
Hurricane Gil Sandwiched
Hurricane Gil is sandwiched between two low pressure areas: System 91E to the
west and System 90E to Gil's east. Gil appears to be inhibiting System 90E's
development, but that may change if Gil weakens or moves farther away from the
low.
At 5 p.m. EDT on Aug. 2, Gil's maximum sustained winds were near 85 mph/140
kph. The National Hurricane Center expects little change in strength during the
next two days.
Gil was centered near 14.6 north latitude and 127.3 west longitude, about
1,275 miles/2,050 km west-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California,
Mexico. Gil is moving west at 13 mph/20 kph and this motion is expected to
continue with some decrease in forward speed during the next two days. The
estimated minimum central pressure is 985 millibars.
In the GOES-15 satellite imagery Gil appears less organized and the area of
strongest convection (rising air that forms the thunderstorms that make up the
tropical cyclone) has been shrinking. Precipitable water imagery shows that
drier air is wrapping into the eastern side of the storm and is likely the cause
of the diminished organization.
Over the weekend of Aug. 3 and 4, the NHC expects slow weakening when Gil
moves over progressively cooler water and into an environment of slightly
stronger wind shear.
System 90E Being Affected by Hurricane Gil
Low pressure area called "System 90E" is still chasing Hurricane Gil. Located
east of Gil, it is located about 900 miles southwest of the southern tip of the
Baja California Peninsula of Mexico. Gil is moving westward at about 10 to 15
mph.
System 90E is producing disorganized thunderstorms, but NHC noted that if
Hurricane Gil weakens, System 90E get a chance to develop. Gil's close proximity
to System 90E is adversely affecting the storm's ability to organize. System 90E
was given a 30 percent or medium chance of becoming a tropical cyclone over the
next two days, and a higher chance over the next 5 days.
08.01.13 - NASA Sees Hurricane Gil Being Chased by Developing
Storm
The AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite
captured this infrared image of Hurricane Gil on August 1 at 6:11 a.m. EDT.
Strongest storms and heaviest rains appear around the center where cloud top
temperatures exceed -63F/-52C (purple).
NOAA's GOES-15 satellite captured this visible
image of Hurricane Gil in the Eastern Pacific Ocean being chased by developing
low pressure System 90E on Aug. 1 at 11 a.m. EDT.
On July 31, NASA's TRMM satellite saw Tropical Storm Gil intensifying and the
storm became a hurricane. NASA's Aqua satellite and NOAA's GOES-15 satellite
captured views of Gil on Aug. 1 as it was being chased by another developing
tropical system.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua
satellite captured an infrared image of Hurricane Gil on August 1 at 10:11 UTC
or 6:11 a.m. EDT. Strongest storms and heaviest rains appear around the center
where cloud top temperatures exceed -63F/-52.
Microwave imagery on Aug. 1 from NASA's Aqua satellite and other satellites
indicated that the cloud pattern of Gil was not as organized as it appeared
overnight and on July 31. Microwave imagery on Aug. 1 did not even see the
ragged eye that was visible the previous day.
At 8 a.m. PDT/11 a.m. EDT on Aug. 1, Hurricane Gil's maximum sustained winds
were near 80 mph (130 kph). The center of Hurricane Gil was located near
latitude 14.5 north and longitude 124.2 west. Gil is far from land areas and is
about 1,100 miles (1,770 km west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja
California, Mexico.
Gil is moving toward the west near 13 mph/20 kph. That motion is expected to
continue for the next 48 hours. The estimated minimum central pressure is 990
millibars
The National Hurricane Center noted that Gil is moving into more stable air
and cooler waters, which will make any intensification over the next day brief,
before the storm starts to weaken.
Traveling behind Gil, or to Gil's east, is System 90E. Imagery from NOAA's
GOES-15 on Aug. 1 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) clearly showed Hurricane Gil and
System 90E trailing behind. The image was created at NASA's GOES Project at the
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
This low pressure area is about 775 miles south-southwest of the southern tip
of Baja California and 325 miles away from Hurricane Gil. System 90E is moving
west at 10 mph and has a 50 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression in
the next two days, according to the National Hurricane Center.
07.31.13 - NASA Finds Powerful Storms in Quickly Intensifying
Tropical Storm Gil
NASA's TRMM satellite traveled above intensifying
Tropical Storm Gil on July 31 at 12:55 a.m. EDT. The TRMM satellite pass showed
that Gil was already very well organized with intense bands of rain wrapping
around the center with rainfall over 5.2 inches per hour.
No sooner had Tropical Storm Flossie dissipated then another tropical cyclone
called Tropical Depression 7E formed yesterday, July 30, in the eastern Pacific
Ocean. NASA's TRMM satellite saw "hot towers" in the storm's center early on
July 31, that indicated it would likely strengthen, and it became Tropical Storm
Gil hours later.
NASA's TRMM satellite traveled above intensifying
Tropical Storm Gil on July 31 at 12:55 a.m. EDT. The TRMM satellite pass showed
that Gil was already very well organized with intense bands of rain wrapping
around the center with rainfall over 5.2 inches per hour.
Image Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal Pierce
NASA and the Japan Space Agency's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM
satellite traveled above intensifying tropical storm Gil on July 31, 2013 at
0455 UTC or 12:55 a.m. EDT. The TRMM satellite pass showed that Gil was already
very well organized with intense bands of rain wrapping around Gil's future
eye.
TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) instrument found powerful storms near the
center of Gil's circulation dropping rain at the rate of over 131 mm (~5.2
inches) per hour. Those powerful storms were "hot towers." A "hot tower" is a
tall cumulonimbus cloud that reaches at least to the top of the troposphere, the
lowest layer of the atmosphere. It extends approximately nine miles (14.5 km)
high in the tropics. These towers are called "hot" because they rise to such
altitude due to the large amount of latent heat. Water vapor releases this
latent heat as it condenses into liquid. NASA research shows that a tropical
cyclone with a hot tower in its eyewall was twice as likely to intensify within
six or more hours, than a cyclone that lacked a hot tower.
On Wednesday, July 31 at 1500 UTC/11 a.m. EDT the center of Tropical Storm
Gil was located near latitude 13.6 north and longitude 119.9 west, about 920
miles/1,475 km southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Maximum
sustained winds were near 60 mph (95 kph). Gil was moving to the west-northwest
at 14 mph (22 kph) and had a minimum central pressure of 1,000 millibars.
Tropical storm Gil is predicted by the National Hurricane Center or NHC to
move toward the west-northwest and become a minimal hurricane with winds of 75
knots (~86 mph) by August 1.
07.30.12 - A NASA Infrared Baby Picture of Tropical Depression
7E
The AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite
captured this infrared image of Tropical Depression 7E on July 30 at 4:07 a.m.
EDT. Strongest storms (purple) and heaviest rains are in fragmented
thunderstorms around the center.
Image Credit: NASA JPL/Ed Olsen
Tropical Depression 7E formed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean during the morning
of July 30, and a NASA satellite was overhead to get an infrared baby picture.
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the depression and saw strong, but fragmented
thunderstorms around the center.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument flies aboard NASA's Aqua
satellite. AIRS creates infrared data that helps determine temperature, such as
cloud top and sea surface temperatures.
AIRS captured an infrared image of Tropical Depression 7E on July 30 at 08:08
UTC/4:07 a.m. EDT. AIRS infrared data showed that the strongest storms and
heaviest rains appeared in fragmented thunderstorms around the center with cloud
top temperatures near -63F/-52C.
At 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT), newborn Tropical Depression 7E or TD7E had maximum
sustained winds near 30 mph (45 kph). It was far from land and is not expected
to affect any land areas as it moves farther out to sea. TD7E was centered near
12.2 north latitude and 114.9 west longitude, about 810 miles/1,300 km
south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. TD7E is moving
to the west-northwest at 16 mph/26 kph and had a minimum central pressure of
1,008 millibars.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center noted in their discussion that
TD7E is located in the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone or ITCZ, but has plenty
of moisture and is over warm sea surface temperatures that will help it
strengthen over the next couple of days.
Tropical Depression 7E is expected to move west-northwest and intensify into
a tropical storm. The National Hurricane Center noted that it could later become
a hurricane.
NASA
Guillermo Gonzalo Sánchez Achutegui
