When NASA’s Terra satellite passed over the Central Atlantic Ocean on Oct. 16 the MODIS instrument aboard analyzed water vapor within Tropical Storm Tara.
When NASA’s Terra satellite passed over the Central Atlantic Ocean on Oct. 16 the MODIS instrument aboard analyzed water vapor within Tropical Storm Tara.
Oscar formed as a subtropical storm in the central North Atlantic Ocean on Friday, Oct. 26 at 11 p.m. EDT. Over the weekend of Oct. 27 and 28, Oscar took on tropical characteristics and strengthened into a hurricane.
On Oct. 29 at 10:20 a.m. EDT (1420) NASA’s Terra satellite passed over Oscar and provided visible and water vapor imagery of the newest Atlantic Hurricane.
Water vapor analysis of tropical cyclones tells forecasters how much potential a storm has to develop and shows where the heaviest rainfall may be found. Water vapor releases latent heat as it condenses into liquid. That liquid becomes clouds and thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone. Temperature is important when trying to understand how strong storms can be. The higher the cloud tops, the colder and the stronger they are.
Read more at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Image: NASA's Terra satellite passed over Hurricane Oscar in the Atlantic Ocean On Oct. 29, 2018 at 10:20 a.m. EDT (1420). The MODIS instrument showed highest concentrations of water vapor (brown) and coldest cloud top temperatures were around the center (over water) and in the eastern quadrant. (Credit: NASA/NRL)
