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Tropical Storm Noel
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Tropical Storm Noel |
| Description |
Tropical Depression 16 was intensifying into Tropical Storm Noel late in the morning of October 28, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] 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. At the time this image was acquired, Noel had winds of 65 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour or 35 knots) with gusts to 83 km/hr (52 mph, 45 knots), said the National Hurricane Center. [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2007/al16/al162007.fstadv.003.shtml? ] Despite relatively low wind speeds, the storm posed a serious threat to Hispaniola, the island encompassing the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The National Hurricane Center expected Noel to dump between 250 and 500 millimeters (10 and 20 inches) of rain on the island, with a few isolated areas receiving up to 760 mm (30 inches) of rain. The heavy rainfall has the potential to trigger deadly floods and mudslides. Tropical Storm Jeanne [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12447 ] was just a tropical storm when its heavy rain caused extensive floods and mudslides [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12485 ] that killed at least 1,500 Haitians in September 2004. Haiti is particularly vulnerable to flash flooding and landslides because of the widespread deforestation of its mountainous terrain. The large image provided above is at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Storm Noel
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Tropical Storm Noel |
| Description |
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this photo-like image of Tropical Storm Noel as the storm passed over the Bahamas Islands on November 1, 2007, at 2:15 p.m., local time. At that time, Noel had sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (65 miles per hour) and was moving northeast at 23 km/hr (14 mph), said the National Hurricane Center. [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2007/al16/al162007.public_a.020.shtml? ] The storm later intensified into a Category 1 hurricane and tracked north along the east coast of the United States. Noel spreads messily across hundreds of kilometers in this image. The center of the storm, a tightly concentrated mass of clouds, sits nearly directly over the Bahamas, while clusters of thunderstorms stretch north and east from the center. In its rampage across the Caribbean, Noel caused at least 115 deaths, primarily in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, reported the Associated Press on November 2. Though the storm was relatively weak, it moved slowly over the two nations, dumping as much as 550 millimeters (21 inches) of rain. (View a satellite-based rainfall map. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14605 ]) The heavy rain caused deadly flooding and mudslides. The large image provided above is at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response System. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Storm Noel
| Title |
Tropical Storm Noel |
| Description |
Spinning winds around a center of calm defines Tropical Storm Noel in this colorful image, created with data collected by NASA's QuikSCAT satellite. The satellite records wind speed and direction over the ocean by sending radar pulses toward the ocean's surface and measuring the strength of the return signal. By mapping the disturbances on the ocean's surface, scientists can estimate how hard and in which direction the wind is blowing. In this image of Tropical Storm Noel, taken on October 28, 2007, the strongest winds are in the south and west side of the storm and are depicted in purple. A broad area of red points to strong winds, and yellow, green, and blue indicate slower wind speeds. The barbs illustrate wind direction, and white barbs show where rainfall was heaviest. The winds circle around a calm center, depicted in blue. The heaviest rainfall corresponds with the strongest winds in the west side of the storm. Tropical Storm Noel was the sixteenth tropical system to develop in the Atlantic Basin in 2007. Though it was never a strong storm in terms of wind speed, it posed significant danger to the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The slow-moving storm dumped heavy rain on the mountainous Caribbean island that is divided between the two nations. The resulting floods and mudslides killed 25 people in the Dominican Republic with many more still missing, reported CNN on October 30. After striking the Dominican Republic, Noel moved north over Cuba. The National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2007/refresh/NOEL+shtml/150444.shtml? ] forecast that the storm would continue northeast over the Bahamas, strengthening slightly, and then weaken as it tracked north over cooler waters. NASA image courtesy of David Long, Brigham Young University, on the QuikSCAT Science Team, [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
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Tropical Storm Noel
| Title |
Tropical Storm Noel |
| Description |
After forming just south of Hispaniola on October 28, 2007, Tropical Storm Noel made landfall on the Haitian side of the island on October 29 with sustained winds reported at 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour or 45 knots). 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 the right side of the storm combined to bring the heaviest rain to the Dominican Republic. This image shows rainfall totals over Haiti and the Dominican Republic between October 26 and October 30, 2007, according to the near-real time, Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis at Goddard Space Flight Center. The analysis is based in part on data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite. The highest rainfall totals (shown in the darkest red) are over the south-central Dominican Republic and are on the order of 400 millimeters (about 16 inches). Most of the east side of Hispaniola received at least 150 millimeters (about 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). As of October 30, 25 people had been reported dead with many more still missing, reported CNN. After passing Haiti, Noel curved westward over Cuba. The storm was expected to turn northeastward and parallel the Eastern Seaboard. TRMM, launched in 1997 to observe rainfall over the Tropics, is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Storm Noel
| Title |
Tropical Storm Noel |
| Description |
Though not the most powerful storm of the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane season, Tropical Storm Noel was among the most deadly. Only Category 5 Hurricane Felix [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14490 ] and its associated flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14514 ] had a higher toll. Slow-moving Tropical Storm Noel inundated the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas with heavy rain between October 28 and November 1, 2007. The resulting floods and mudslides left at least 115 dead and thousands homeless throughout the Caribbean, reported the Associated Press on November 2, 2007. The president of the Dominican Republic, the worst-hit nation, declared a state of emergency. After crossing Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Noel moved over northern Cuba and then tracked northeast over the Bahamas. The storm was expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane, move quickly north along the east coast of the United States, and strike Nova Scotia, Canada, as an extra-tropical storm on November 4, said the National Hurricane Center. [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ] This image shows the distribution of the rainfall that made Noel a deadly storm. The image shows rainfall totals as measured by the Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from October 26 through November 1, 2007. The analysis is based on measurements taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The heaviest rainfall fell in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, northeast of Noel's center. Areas of dark red show that rainfall totals over the south-central Dominican Republic and parts of the Bahamas were over 551 millimeters (21 inches). Much of eastern Hispaniola, including both the Dominican Republic and Haiti received at least 200 mm (about 8 inches) of rain, shown in yellow. Rainfall totals over Haiti and Cuba were less, with a range of at least 50 mm (2 inches) to over 200 mm (8 inches). TRMM, launched in 1997 to observe rainfall over the Tropics with a combination of passive microwave and active radar sensors, is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) |
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Tropical Storm Noel Floods t
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Tropical Storm Noel Floods the Dominican Republic |
| Description |
Tropical Storm Noel [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14605 ] left floods and landslides in its wake after crossing Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, on October 28, 2007. As of November 2, 79 people had been reported dead and 65,000 displaced in the Dominican Republic, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-78KQAQ?OpenDocument&rc=2&emid=TC-2007-000198-DOM ] The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of floods near the northern shore of the Dominican Republic on November 1. The image was made with a combination of infrared and visible light so that water is black, plant-covered land is bright green, and clouds are pale blue and white. Run-off from the floods filled the Yuna River with sediment, coloring the water blue. The sediment also colors the Atlantic Ocean near the mouth of the river. As the lower image shows, the Yuna River is not visible in MODIS imagery under normal conditions, but in the November 1 image, the river has swollen enough to be clearly seen beneath a thin veil of clouds. The flooded delta covers several kilometers. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Nov2007/hispaniola_tmo_2007305.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image courtesy Jesse Allen, made with data provided by the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Storm Noel Floods t
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| Title |
Tropical Storm Noel Floods the Dominican Republic |
| Description |
Tropical Storm Noel [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14605 ] left floods and landslides in its wake after crossing Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, on October 28, 2007. As of November 2, 79 people had been reported dead and 65,000 displaced in the Dominican Republic, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-78KQAQ?OpenDocument&rc=2&emid=TC-2007-000198-DOM ] The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of floods near the northern shore of the Dominican Republic on November 1. The image was made with a combination of infrared and visible light so that water is black, plant-covered land is bright green, and clouds are pale blue and white. Run-off from the floods filled the Yuna River with sediment, coloring the water blue. The sediment also colors the Atlantic Ocean near the mouth of the river. As the lower image shows, the Yuna River is not visible in MODIS imagery under normal conditions, but in the November 1 image, the river has swollen enough to be clearly seen beneath a thin veil of clouds. The flooded delta covers several kilometers. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Nov2007/hispaniola_tmo_2007305.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image courtesy Jesse Allen, made with data provided by the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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