Hurricane Irma is a 'potentially catastrophic' Category 5 storm

Category 5 Hurricane Irma has become one of the strongest storms recorded in the Atlantic, and is threatening to slam into Caribbean islands including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with "potentially catastrophic" force on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Tropical Storm Paula

On October 14, 2010, Paula weakened to a tropical storm but still posed significant risks, including high winds, heavy rains, and storm surges. At 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Paula was located roughly 110 miles (180 kilometers) west-southwest of Havana, Cuba, and had maximum sustained winds of 70 miles (110 kilometers) per hour.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of Tropical Storm Paula at 12:05 p.m. EDT (16:05 UTC) on October 14, 2010. The storm stretched from the Gulf of Mexico across southern Florida to the Atlantic Ocean.
The NHC warned that tropical-storm-force winds would likely spread across Cuba, especially along the northern coast. Paula was predicted to produce up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in some places, with the potential for dangerous flash floods and landslides. In addition, forecasters were calling for a storm surge of 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 meters) above normal tide levels.

Hurricane Igor

Tropical Storm Igor formed over the far eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean on September 8, 2010, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. From its genesis locality southeast of Cape Verde, Igor traveled westward. Igor strengthened to a hurricane on September 11, becoming the fourth of the season. By 11:00 a.m. Atlantic Standard Time (AST) on September 13, Igor was a category 4 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 miles (240 kilometers) per hour.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image of Hurricane Igor at 12:40 p.m. AST (16:40 UTC) on September 13, 2010. Igor shows all the characteristics of a strong hurricane, including a distinct eye and spiral arms spanning hundreds of kilometers.
On September 13, the NHC forecast that Igor would continue moving toward the west at about 10 miles (17 kilometers) per hour. Late in the day on September 13, or early in the day on September 14, Igor was expected to turn toward the west-northwest. Although the storm’s intensity would likely fluctuate over the next 48 hours, it was expected to remain a powerful hurricane.

Hurricane Earl along the North Carolina Coast

At 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on September 2, 2010, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Hurricane Earl was roughly 245 miles (395 kilometers) south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and about 720 miles (1,155 kilometers) south-southwest of Nantucket, Massachusetts. A Category 3 hurricane, Earl packed maximum sustained winds of 125 miles (205 kilometers) per hour. The NHC warned that Earl was expected to pass near North Carolina's Outer Banks overnight.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of Hurricane Earl grazing the North Carolina coast at 11:29 a.m. EDT (15:29 UTC) on September 2. Earl shows visible characteristics of a powerful hurricane—large size, spiral arms, and a distinct eye. Clouds from Earl extend primarily over North Carolina and Virginia.
The NHC issued multiple hurricane watches and warnings, including a hurricane warning from Bogue Inlet, North Carolina, northeastward to the Virginia border; and from Westport, Massachusetts, around Cape Cod to Hull. The NHC also warned that a powerful storm surge could raise water levels by 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) in some places. (Please see the NHC’s advisory archive for more information.) The NHC forecast that Earl would turn toward the north-northeast and pick up speed on September 3. Even though the storm had begun to weaken, it was expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it passed the Outer Banks.
Researchers participating in the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) mission flew NASA’s DC-8 and WB-57 planes and the robotic Global Hawk aircraft through and over Hurricane Earl on September 2 as the storm approached the Carolina coast.
During flights earlier in the week, researchers noticed that dry air surrounded Earl. Hurricanes usually derive energy from moist air, and dry air can weaken or even stop a storm. “The scientific question is: will Earl maintain its intensity in the face of all this dry air?” said Ed Zipser, researcher from the University of Utah. “Is that dry air getting in? And if it is, is it going to kill the storm?”

Tropical Storm Danielle

Tropical Storm Danielle formed as a tropical depression over the Atlantic Ocean on August 22, 2010. By the following day, Danielle had strengthened to a tropical Storm, and had the potential to become a hurricane by evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of Tropical Storm Danielle at 9:15 a.m. AST (13:15 UTC) on August 23. Danielle boasts the apostrophe shape typical of tropical storms, although it lacks a distinct eye.
At 11:00 a.m. AST on August 23, 2010, the NHC reported that Danielle had maximum sustained winds of 65 miles (100 kilometers) per hour, and was expected to strengthen further over the next 48 hours. Danielle 1,025 miles (1,650 kilometers) west of Cape Verde.

Hurricane Alex: First Atlantic Hurricane of 2010

Looking quite a bit more substantial than it did the day before, Hurricane Alex dominated the skies over the western Gulf of Mexico when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite passed overhead and captured this image at 12:10 p.m. Central Daylight Time on June 30, 2010.
Compared to the image acquired the previous day, Alex appears tighter, with fewer areas of clear sky or thin clouds within the body of the storm. A distinct eye appears at the center of the storm, not far from the coast of northern Mexico. Overall, Alex has shifted slightly toward the northwest, consistent with earlier forecasts.
In its 1:00 p.m. CDT bulletin, the National Hurricane Center reported that Alex had maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (135 kilometers per hour), and the storm was headed northwest at 12 mph (18 km/hr). This path drew it away from a direct pass over the ongoing oil slick, but high winds and waves from the storm were likely to affect the ongoing clean up efforts for a time, according to The New York Times.
The arrival of the first hurricane in June is in keeping with the National Hurricane Center’s prediction of an above-average storm season. It is rare for a tropical storm to intensify to a hurricane in June. The last time it happened was in 1995, when Hurricane Allison formed in early June. The NHC predictions for an active season were based in part on the end of El Niño conditions in the Pacific and a possible transition to La Niña, as well as on the unusually high sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic.

Category 5 Hurricane Rick

Hurricane Rick was a Category 5 storm on October 18, 2009, near the time when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image. Several hundred kilometers southwest of Baja California, the storm had winds of 160 miles per hour (260 kilometers per hour), down from an estimated 180 mph (290 km/h) the previous evening at 8:00 p.m. As of 8:00 a.m. PDT on October 19, Rick was predicted to move in a northeastward arc, perhaps grazing Cabo San Lucas on the tip of the peninsula before making landfall as a weakened storm in Mexico between Wednesday and Thursday.

Hurricane Fred - Update

NASA's QuikSCAT satellite captured this view of Hurricane Fred on September 10, 2009, shortly after 4 p.m. Atlantic Daylight time. At the time, Fred had winds of about 150 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour), making it a Category 1 hurricane according to the National Hurricane Center. This image shows the wind structure of the storm. The strongest winds are purple, and the weakest are blue. Like all tropical storms, Fred has a core of strong winds surrounded by gradually weakening winds. The storm exhibits a distinctive "s" shape-a structure left over, perhaps, from its time as a Category 4 storm.

QuikSCAT is a scatterometer that measures wind speed by bouncing microwave pulses off the ocean's surface and recording the echo. An ocean tossed by strong winds will scatter the energy differently than a calm ocean, so the measurement provides an indication of both wind speed and direction. However, since hurricanes are relatively rare, scientists have not calibrated the data to accurately report wind speeds greater than 50 knots (about 60 miles per hour or 90 kilometers per hour). Heavy rain also distorts the ocean's surface, making wind speeds more difficult to gauge. As a result, this image shows relative wind speeds rather than providing an accurate reporting of actual wind speeds.

According to a bulletin released by the U.S. National Hurricane Center at 5 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time September 9, 2009, the eye of Hurricane Fred hovered over the Atlantic Ocean some 955 kilometers (595 miles) west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands. With maximum sustained wind speeds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour, Fred was a Category Three hurricane. The National Hurricane Center reported, however, that the storm had weakened slightly over the previous several hours, and was expected to continue weakening over the next 48 hours.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA'sTerra satellite captured this true-color image of Hurricane Fred at 8:55 a.m. Atlantic Standard Time (12:55 UTC) on September 9, 2009. Spanning hundreds of kilometers, Fred travels northwestward over the Atlantic Ocean.

Hurricane Jimena --2

Hurricane Jimena moved slowly over Baja California on September 2, 2009, as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image. Storm clouds extend from the Pacific Ocean across Baja California and the Gulf of California to central Mexico.

On September 2, 3009, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Jimena was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 165 kilometers (105 miles) per hour and stronger gusts. The hurricane center predicted that the storm would weaken over the next 24 hours, and by September 3, 2009, the center reported that sustained winds had decreased to 75 kilometers (45 miles) per hour. Despite slower winds, however, the storm dropped heavy rains as it came ashore.

Hurricane Bill

Hurricane Bill moved quickly northward through the Western Atlantic in the third week of August 2009, staying well away from the U.S. East Coast, but pounding the seaboard with large surf. This pair of images from August 22 shows a natural-color (photo-like) view of Hurricane Bill captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite (top) combined with a view of the vertical structure of the clouds measured by the radar on the Cloudsat satellite (bottom).
The photo-like view has been rotated so that North is to the right. The gray line shows the track that Cloudsat followed as it passed from south to north over the storm shortly following Aqua. The radar reflectivity measured by Cloudsat is the echo made when the pulse of energy the radar sends out bounces back from the ocean surface or from cloud particles in the atmosphere. The radar picture gives an idea of the shape and height of the clouds you would have seen if you could have sliced away the eastern half of the storm and looked in at it from the side.
As Cloudsat flew over the storm, it first encountered only patchy clouds, followed by the outermost band of clouds associated with the hurricane. As the radar scanned northward, it saw a pocket of air that was mostly cloud free; only a thin patch of high-altitude cirrus clouds capped a column of relatively clear air. Clouds in the southern eye wall reached about 15 kilometers in altitude, while those to the north were lower

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