On Aug. 25 at 18:20 UTC (2:20 p.m. EDT) the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured Hurricane Marie's center just west of Socorro Island, Mexico in the Eastern Pacific.
Image Credit:
NASA's Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team
This infrared image of Hurricane Marie on Aug. 26 at 5:35 a.m. EDT from the AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite shows its large expanse (over 600 miles) and powerful thunderstorms (purple).
Image Credit:
NASA JPL, Ed Olsen
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.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured this visible image of Hurricane Marie of the west coast of Mexico on August 24 at 20:40 UTC (4:40 p.m. EDT).
Image Credit:
NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team
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.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared data on Aug. 21 at 20:05 UTC of Tropical Storm Marie's cloud top temperatures as it came together off of Mexico's southwestern coast.
Image Credit:
NASA JPL, Ed Olsen
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.
NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured Tropical Storm Karina (left), Tropical Storm Lowell (center) and Tropical Storm Marie (right) in an infrared image on Aug. 22 at 5 a.m. EDT as they moved through the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Credit:
Image Credit:
NASA/NOAA's GOES Project
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.