AMPHAN - SUPER CYCLONE OF 2020
Water vapor analysis of tropical cyclones tells forecasters how much potential a storm has to develop. 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 the storms.
NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Amphan on May 18 at 3:40 a.m. EST (0740 UTC), and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument gathered water vapor content and temperature information. The MODIS image showed highest concentrations of water vapor and coldest cloud top temperatures circled the visible eye.
MODIS data showed coldest cloud top temperatures were as cold as or colder than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius) in those storms. Storms with cloud top temperatures that cold have the capability to produce heavy rainfall.
NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite provided a visible image of the huge Tropical Cyclone Amphan on May 18, just off the eastern coast of India. The image showed the extent of the storm, which was over open ocean, stretching from just north of Sri Lanka, north, past the Indian states of Tamil Nadu to Andrha Pradesh.
Comments
Post a Comment