NASA's TRMM spacecraft observed this view of Hurricane Ike on September 4, 2008 as it strengthened in the Atlantic. At this time the storm was an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 knots (143 mph) and a pressure reading of 935 millibars. Hurricane-force winds were extending outward 45 miles from the center, while tropical storm-force winds extend up to 140 miles. The cloud cover in this animation 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.
Hurricane Ike Slams Cuba on September 8, 2008
NASA's TRMM spacecraft observed this view of Hurricane Ike on September 8, 2008 as slammed into Cuba . At this time the storm had weakened to a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 85 knots (98 mph) and a pressure reading of 960 millibars. Hurricane-force winds were extending outward 60 miles from the center, while tropical storm-force winds extended up to 200 miles from the center. The cloud cover in this animation 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 1.5 inches of rain per hour.
Hurricane Ike Strengthens in the Gulf of Mexico on September 10, 2008
NASA's TRMM spacecraft observed this view of Hurricane Ike on September 10, 2008 as slammed into Cuba . At this time the storm was a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 knots (86.25 mph) and a pressure reading of 963 millibars. At this time, TRMM's data and aircraft reports confirm the small inner eye is eroding as the outer bands, shown here as red towers, are becoming better defined. This could limit rapid intensity development in the very near term, but the storm is projected to strengthen before it makes landfall. The cloud cover in this animation 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. The colored isosurface uner the clouds show the rain seen by the PR instrument. This surface is colored according to cloud height where yellow represents 10 km thunderclouds and red represents 12 km more intense thunderclouds.
Hurricane Ike on September 10, 2008 at 1745 UTC
NASA's TRMM spacecraft observed this view of Hurricane Ike on September 10, 2008 at 1745 UTC or 1:45PM EST. At this time the storm was a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 85 knots (97.75 mph), a pressure reading of 958 millibars, and a diameter of 100 miles. The cloud cover in this animation 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. The colored isosurface uner the clouds show the rain seen by the PR instrument. This surface is colored according to cloud height where yellow represents 10 km thunderclouds and red represents 15 km or more intense thunderclouds. Ike is expected to generate a 10 to 15 foot storm surge along a 100 mile stretch of the Texas Coast from the eye landfall location.
Hurricane Ike Attacks the Gulf Coast on September 12, 2008
NASA's TRMM spacecraft observed this view of Hurricane Ike on September 12, 2008 at 1035Z or 6:35 AM EST. At this time the storm was an extremely dangerous category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 90 knots (103 mph) and a pressure reading of 953 millibars. Hurricane-force winds were extending outward 120 miles from the center, while tropical storm-force winds extend up to 275 miles. Size matters when it comes to hurricanes. Larger storms produce a wider swath of wind damage and stir up the water that create a surge on a longer coastline. With Hurricane Ike, the wind field is exceptionally large and so is the destructive potential for storm surge. Surge flooding up to 25 feet is expected. The cloud cover in this animation 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.
Video Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
Animator: Lori Perkins (NASA) (Lead)
Spacecraft: TRMM
Music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Flash Conversion and Final Editing: Scientific Frontline
Source
:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
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