Friday, May 21, 2010

RT @EcoSeed: First US city to be lit with 100% LEDS http://bit.ly/bbLzLq LED sustainable greenbuilding
RT @EcoSeed: This year, it will be the hottest http://bit.ly/c7pixD 2010 climatechange reuters
12:30pm, Orissa coast getting some good showers while Laila is weakening over North Andhra... http://ow.ly/i/1FPS

TRMM analysis as Cyclone Laila hits Coastal Andhra on 20-May



TRMM captured data used in the image above on 20 May 2010 0714 UTC just before tropical cyclone LAILA came ashore in eastern India. LAILA was at tropical storm strength with winds estimated at about 50 knots (~57.5 mph) at that time. Very intense rainfall of over 50mm/hr (~2 inches) is shown over land northwest of the storm's center in this analysis of TRMM rainfall data. Data from TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) and TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) instruments were used in the rainfall analysis. These data were overlaid on a combined Visible and Infrared image from TRMM's Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS). To this date at least six people were reported killed in incidents related to LAILA and many fishing boats damaged. LAILA was forecast to weaken to tropical depression intensity by 22 May 2010 while moving to the northeast inland parallel to the eastern India coast.
The 3-D image on the right was made using data from TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) and shows that the powerful thunderstorms northwest of tropical cyclone LAILA shot up to heights above 17.5 kilometers (~57,415 feet).
RT @trichyit: India cyclone weakens, death toll at 26 - AFP http://url4.eu/3cTki
Good visible shot of Cyclone Laila taken on 19-May-2010 .. http://ow.ly/1O0rL

Cyclone "Laila"




Tropical Cyclone Laila brought heavy rains and strong winds to the Bay of Bengal and parts of India in May 2010. This color-coded image shows estimated rainfall amounts for May 17 through May 19, as well as the storm track from May 17 to May 20. The heaviest amounts of rain—300 or more millimeters (12 or more inches)—appear in dark blue. The lightest amounts of rain—less than 37.5 millimeters (1.5 inches)—appear in pale green. The storm track is indicated by a pink line. The thicker, darker portion of that line shows where the storm intensified on May 19.
The heaviest rainfall amounts appear close to the storm track, and especially heavy rain falls just off the Indian coast. Although rainfall amounts are lighter farther away from the storm track, substantial amounts of rain occur throughout the region.
On May 20, 2010, the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Tropical Cyclone Laila had maximum sustained winds of 50 knots (90 kilometers per hour) and gusts up to 65 knots (120 kilometers per hour). Roughly 230 nautical miles (430 kilometers) southwest of the coastal city of Visakhapatnam (also spelled Vishakhapatnam), the storm had moved slowly northward over the previous six hours.
Reuters reported that the storm was expected to impact the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and that fishing communities in coastal lowlands would be especially hard hit. Meanwhile, ReliefWeb reported that authorities in Sri Lanka were scrambling to find shelter for thousands of residents affected by torrential rains there, as monsoon season got underway.
This image is based on data from the Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis produced at Goddard Space Flight Center, which estimates rainfall by combining measurements from many satellites and calibrating them using rainfall measurements from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite.
RT @bbcworld: At least 23 people die as a cyclone causes widespread havoc across the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. http://bit.ly/cswsAQ
Delhi gets advanced radar for weather forecast ... http://ow.ly/1O0oJ
Cyclonic rains lash Andhra, cut off coastal areas .. http://ow.ly/1O0oz