NOAA's GOES-16 satellite captured Hurricanes Grace and Linda along with tropical storms Fred, Henri and smoke clouds from California wildfires on Aug. 18, 2021. Image credit: NOAA
New satellite images capture four storms in the sky above North America, as the continent approaches the peak of hurricane season.
On Wednesday, August 18, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 16 captured aerial views of Hurricanes Grace and Linda. Also, tropical storms Fred and Henri were also captured by GOES-16. Also, the satellite image shows smoke billows streaming across the west U.S. due to several California fires.
NASA officials released a statement saying that hurricane activity in North America accelerates during the mid-to-late season as the seas heat up. This makes it easier for tropical storms to form and intensify. August 2021 was no exception. Actually, storm activity is higher than usual earlier in the year.
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GOES-16 used its Advanced Baseline Imager to (ABI) this simulated natural color image at 1:20 p.m. ET (1720 GMT). It revealed four distinct storms in various stages of their development. On Tuesday, August 17, Hurricane Grace (lower right in satellite image) brought heavy rains and flooding to Haiti, still recovering from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake of Aug. 14. According to the statement, it moved westward at 15 mph (24 km/h) on Wednesday towards Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.
The satellite image shows Tropical Storm Fred moving north along the East Coast. The storm brought heavy rainfall and strong winds that left flooding and tornadoes behind. According to NASA, the winds reached 65 mph (105 km/h) when the storm hit Florida. The storm then brought rain and flooding across the state.
Henri, expected to become a hurricane on Friday (Aug.20), is visible near Bermuda in this satellite image. Forecasters predict that Henri will move toward the Northeast U.S. this weekend and could affect the coast.
The statement said that "Starting in early last week the large-scale conditions were especially favorable for tropical Cyclone development in the Eastern Pacific, and Atlantic basins." Patrick Duran, a Hurricane Expert based at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, stated in the statement. The Madden-Julian Oscillation is a global-scale phenomenon which plays a role for tropical convection. It was favorable for thunderstorm formation. A large atmospheric wave, called an equatorial Kelvin waves, moved across the Atlantic at the same time. This made conditions more favorable for storm development.
Linda, which is an intense type of storm known as an annular hurricane has been located in the Eastern Pacific on the left side. The storm was declared a hurricane on August 12th and remained strong for many days. The storm was not able to land on land and remained at sea. However, it reached 130 mph (209 km/h), making it a Category-4 hurricane.
According to the statement, Annular hurricanes generally have large, symmetrical eyes with few rain bands that spiral outward. These hurricanes are stronger than others and last longer than other tropical storms. This is because of their "annular structure which makes these storms more resilient to the negative effects of unfavorable circumstances like low ocean temperatures, high wind shear" Charles Helms, a NASA scientist, stated in the statement.
The GOES-16 image shows more than just active storms. It also shows the effects on several California wildfires. Smoke streams can be seen across the west U.S. The satellite image shows smoke that is characterized by darker clouds. It can also be seen in the top of the northwest U.S. According to an Aug. 18 state statement, California has issued a warning about fire-prone conditions in large parts of Northern California as well as the North Bay Mountains, East Bay Hills and areas of the North Bay Mountains.
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