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Hurricane Dean on August 19,
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| Title |
Hurricane Dean on August 19, 2007 |
| Abstract |
NASA's TRMM spacecraft observed this view of Hurricane Dean on August 19, 2007. At this time the storm was classified as a dangerous category four with sustained winds of 125 knots (138 mph). The cloud cover is taken by TRMM's Visible and Infrared Scanner(VIRS) and the GOES spacecraft. The rain structure is taken by TRMM's Tropical Microwave Imager (TMI) and TRMM's Precitation Radar(PR) instruments. TRMM looks underneath of the storm's clouds to reveal the underlying rain structure. Blue represents areas with at least 0.25 inches of rain per hour. Green shows at least 0.5 inches of rain per hour. Yellow is at least 1.0 inches of rain and red is at least 2.0 inches of rain per hour. |
| Completed |
2007-08-19 |
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Hurricane Dean
| Title |
Hurricane Dean |
| Description |
Hurricane Dean was the first hurricane of the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The storm system formed off the coast of South America on August 13. It traveled west, building strength from the warm waters as it headed towards the South American coast and the southern arc of the Caribbean Islands. By August 17, it had grown in power to become a Category 3 hurricane, [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] and forecasters were calling for it to potentially gain yet more strength as it passed over the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Dean was projected to cause major damage. Mexican authorities, according to news sources, were warning residents in the Yucatan Peninsula of the danger of the coming storm, which was projected to strike the peninsula. The storm might also brush against the islands of Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Cuba among others. Some forecasters were concerned about the possibility of Dean developing into super storm in the Gulf of Mexico, where storm surge and waves as well as winds might pose significant dangers to the oil and gas platforms. This data visualization of the hurricane shows observations from the QuikSCAT satellite on August 16, 2007, at 6:55 p.m. local time (21:55 UTC). At this time, Dean was poised to cross the Windward Islands of the Caribbean, while grazing the coast of Venezuela on the South American mainland. Peak winds were around 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour, 85 knots) at this time, according to Unisys Weather's Hurricane information page, [ http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/ ] making Dean a Category 2 hurricane. The image depicts wind speed in color and wind direction with small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. QuikSCAT measurements of the wind strength of Hurricane Dean and other tropical cyclones can be slower than actual wind speeds. QuikSCAT's scatterometer sends pulses of microwave energy through the atmosphere to the ocean surface and measures the energy that bounces back from the wind-roughened surface. The energy of the microwave pulses changes depending on wind speed and direction. To relate the radar signal to actual wind speed, scientists compare measurements taken from buoys and other ground stations to data the satellite acquired at the same time and place. Because the high wind speeds generated by cyclones are rare, scientists do not have corresponding ground information to know how to translate data from the satellite for wind speeds above 50 knots (about 93 km/hr or 58 mph). Also, the unusually heavy rain found in a cyclone distorts the microwave pulses in a number of ways, making a conversion to exact wind speed difficult. Instead, the scatterometer provides a nice picture of the relative wind speeds within the storm and shows wind direction. 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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Hurricane Dean
| Title |
Hurricane Dean |
| Description |
Dean may have been the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2007 season, but days after first forming, it was also classified among the strongest hurricanes recorded. Dean became a Category 5 hurricane [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] before coming ashore on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on August 21. Dean began as a wave-like disturbance in the cloud bands off South America, which gathered together to form a storm system on August 13. Fueled by the deep warm waters of the Caribbean, Dean quickly grew into a major hurricane, reaching its peak just before coming ashore. As it traveled across the Caribbean, the storm also caused great damage to Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island, and other Caribbean islands. This data visualization of the hurricane shows observations from the QuikSCAT satellite on August 20, 2007, at 5:31 p.m. local time (23:31 UTC). At this time, Dean was in the Gulf of Mexico between Cuba, Jamaica, and the Central American peninsula heading towards the Yucatan Peninsula. Peak winds were around 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour, 135 knots) at this time, according to Unisys Weather's Hurricane information page. [ http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/ ] With these wind speeds, Dean just reached Category 5 status. The image depicts wind speed in color and wind direction with small barbs. The highest wind speeds, shown in purple, surround the center of the storm. The strongest winds on the north side of the eyewall are depicted in pink. Areas of heavy rain, shown with white barbs, correspond with stronger winds. QuikSCAT measurements of the wind strength of Dean and other tropical cyclones can be slower than actual wind speeds. QuikSCAT's scatterometer sends pulses of microwave energy through the atmosphere to the ocean surface and measures the energy that bounces back from the wind-roughened surface. The energy of the microwave pulses changes depending on wind speed and direction. To relate the radar signal to actual wind speed, scientists compare measurements taken from buoys and other ground stations to data the satellite acquired at the same time and place. Because the high wind speeds generated by cyclones are rare, scientists do not have corresponding ground information to know how to translate data from the satellite for wind speeds above 50 knots (about 93 km/hr or 58 mph). Also, the unusually heavy rain found in a cyclone distorts the microwave pulses in a number of ways, making a conversion to exact wind speed difficult. Instead, the scatterometer provides a nice picture of the relative wind speeds within the storm and shows wind direction. 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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Hurricane Dean
| Title |
Hurricane Dean |
| Description |
QuikSCAT Science Team [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory., The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season had three named storms, but no hurricanes until the middle of August, when Tropical Storm Dean formed. By August 20, when the QuikSCAT satellite captured the data used to make this image, Dean was an extremely powerful Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] hurricane. The image depicts wind speed in color and wind direction with small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. The center of the storm is dominated by purple, indicating high wind speeds. Pale pink circles the eye where winds were off the scale. Dark red and orange areas spread some distance from the eye: Dean was a large and powerful storm. Dean began as a wave-like disturbance in the cloud bands off South America, which gathered together to form a storm system on August 13. By August 18, Dean had grown in power to become a Category 4 hurricane, [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] swirling in the Caribbean Sea. The storm caused great damage to Jamaica and Grand Cayman Island, among other Caribbean islands, and as of August 19, it was forecast to come ashore on the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula not far from the border with Belize. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml? ] were also expecting the storm to continue to gather power to Category Five strength. When QuikSCAT measured the storm on August 20, 2007, at 8:04 a.m. local time (14:04 UTC), Dean was in the Gulf of Mexico between Cuba, Jamaica, and the Central American peninsula heading towards the Yucatan Peninsula. Peak winds were around 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour, 130 knots) at this time, according to Unisys Weather's Hurricane information, [ http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/ ] making Dean a powerful Category Four hurricane. QuikSCAT measurements of the wind strength of Dean and other tropical cyclones can be slower than actual wind speeds. QuikSCAT's scatterometer sends pulses of microwave energy through the atmosphere to the ocean surface and measures the energy that bounces back from the wind-roughened surface. The energy of the microwave pulses changes depending on wind speed and direction. To relate the radar signal to actual wind speed, scientists compare measurements taken from buoys and other ground stations to data the satellite acquired at the same time and place. Because the high wind speeds generated by cyclones are rare, scientists do not have corresponding ground information to know how to translate data from the satellite for wind speeds above 50 knots (about 93 km/hr or 58 mph). Also, the unusually heavy rain found in a cyclone distorts the microwave pulses in a number of ways, making a conversion to exact wind speed difficult. Instead, the scatterometer provides a nice picture of the relative wind speeds within the storm and shows wind direction. NASA image courtesy of David Long, Brigham Young University, on the |
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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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Hurricane Dean: Natural Haza
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The 2007 Atlantic hurricane
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dean_sts118_2007230_lrg2
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-18 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
dean_sts118_2007230_lrg2 |
|
Hurricane Dean: Natural Haza
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The 2007 Atlantic hurricane
…
dean_sts118_2007230_lrg2
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-18 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
dean_sts118_2007230_lrg2 |
|
Hurricane Dean Approaches Yu
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
As if to make up for the sea
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Dean_GOES_2007aug20
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image by Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, based on data from NOAA GOES. Blue Marble imagery by NASA's Earth Observatory Team. |
| identifier |
Dean_GOES_2007aug20 |
|
Rain from Tropical Storm Noe
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Though not the most powerful
…
NoelRain_TRM_2007305
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-11-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
NoelRain_TRM_2007305 |
|
Heavy Rain Floods Central Am
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
During the first week and a
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CAmerica_TRM_2007287
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-10-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
| identifier |
CAmerica_TRM_2007287 |
|
Hurricane Dean: Natural Haza
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The 2007 Atlantic hurricane
…
dean_qsc_2007232
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
dean_qsc_2007232 |
|
Hurricane Dean: Natural Haza
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Hurricane Dean was the first
…
dean_qsc_2007228
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-16 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
dean_qsc_2007228 |
|
Hurricane Dean: Natural Haza
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Dean may have been the first
…
dean_qsc_20072322331
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
dean_qsc_20072322331 |
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