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Hurricane Season 2008: Gustav (Atlantic Ocean)
Lower Mississippi Valley Finally Waves Goodbye to Gustav
Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project> Watch movie Gustav doesn't know when to quit, but on Thursday, Sept. 4, the residents of the lower Mississippi Valley are happy to show him the door as he moves out of the region today. He's headed to the Ohio Valley, where he's expected to become absorbed by a stationary frontal boundary.
On Sept. 4 at 5:00 a.m. EDT, Flood and Flash Flood Warnings are still in effect for parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, extreme eastern Oklahoma, extreme southeastern Kansas, and much of Missouri.
At that time, Tropical Depression Gustav's center was located about 80 miles northwest of Little Rock, Arkansas or 110 miles south of Springfield, Missouri, near 35.6 north latitude and 93.2 west longitude. His maximum sustained winds are near 15 mph, and he's moving northeast near 11 mph. Minimum central pressure is near 1000 millibars.
Gustav is still dumping rain days after landfall and bringing it to the Mid-Western U.S. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are expected from Missouri Northeastward into portions of Illinois, southeastern Wisconsin, southeastern Iowa, northwestern Indiana and much of Michigan with isolated maximum amounts of 5 inches through Saturday morning. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are expected across southeastern Louisiana, eastern Mississippi, and western Alabama through today, Sept. 4.
This movie was created using satellite imagery from Sept.2-4 from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12), which is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was created by NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. You can see Gustav's remnants over Arkansas and moving northeast toward the Ohio Valley, while in the lower right corner, the clouds from Hanna are visible. There's also a low pressure system that moved off the New England coast, in the top right corner of the video.
Credit: NASA JPL> Larger image What Does This NASA Satellite Image Show?
This infrared image of Gustav's remnants was created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), an instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The image was created on Sept. 2 at 19:41 UTC (5:41 p.m. EDT).
The AIRS images show the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The coldest cloud temperatures are in purple, but there are none in this image. The second coolest temperatures are in blue, which make up the much of the tops of Gustav's remnants. The AIRS data creates an accurate 3-D map of atmospheric temperature, water vapor and clouds, all of which are helpful to forecasters.
The infrared signal of the AIRS instrument does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the ocean waters, revealing warmer temperatures in orange and red.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Sept. 3, 2008
Gustav Now Soaking Lower Mississippi Valley; Large Rainfall Totals
Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project> Larger image Tropical Depression Gustav was ambling in the lower Mississippi Valley on Wed. Sept. 3, and continuing to dump large amounts of rain, and spout tornadoes throughout the region. Flood Watches and Warnings are up for much of the region, and a tornado watch was in effect during the early morning hours for central Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi.
Gustav's Damage Costs
According to the Insurance Information Institute, the organization that tracks the amount of damages tropical cyclones create, in 2007 U.S. dollars. Gustav's insured damage estimate of $2 billion to $10 billion puts in somewhere between the 4th and 5th most costly. Katrina's damages in Aug. 2005 totaled $43.6; Andrew in 1992 totaled $22.9 billion; Wilma in Oct. 2005 totaled $10.9 billion; Charley in Aug. 2004 totaled $8.2 billion; and Ivan in Sept. 2004 totaled $7.8 billion in damages.
Where is Gustav on Sept. 3?
At 5:00 a.m. EDT, Tropical Depression Gustav had maximum sustained winds near 20mph. He was near latitude 33.6 north and longitude 94.3 West, that's about 20 miles west-northwest of Texarkana, Arkansas. He was drifting slowly to the north-northwest near 3mph, and should move to the north-northeast by tomorrow. The minimum central pressure was 997 millibars.
For live National Weather Service radar over Little Rock, Ark.: http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=lzk&product=N0R&loop=yes
GOES Eyes Gustav
This satellite image was captured on September 3 at 11:31 UTC (7:31 a.m. EDT from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12). In the image, Tropical Depression Gustav is on the far left over Arkansas and Tropical Storm Hanna is located in the lower left corner, over the southern Bahamas.
GOES is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was created by NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Gustav's Rainfall Totals as of Sept. 3 at 5:00 a.m. EDT
The National Weather Service's Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC) in Camp Springs, Md. is now issuing advisories on Gustav's remnants. The HPC has compiled rainfall totals from Gustav, as of 5:00 a.m. EDT. They appear below in inches:
MISSISSIPPI
MCCOMB: 7.33
HATTIESBURG: 6.42
PASCAGOULA: 4.61
LAUREL: 4.08
BILOXI/KEESLER AFB: 4.05
VICKSBURG: 2.88
GREENVILLE: 2.14
GULFPORT: 1.83
JACKSON (JAN): 1.56
GREENWOOD: 1.42
LOUISIANA
MONROE: 9.29
ALEXANDRIA: 8.12
BATON ROUGE: 4.63
FORT POLK: 4.31
NEW ORLEANS NAS: 3.10
SHREVEPORT: 2.22
BARKSDALE AFB: 2.10
SHREVEPORT (DTN): 2.10
LAKE CHARLES: 1.83
LAFAYETTE: 1.72
SLIDELL: 1.19
NEW ORLEANS (MSY): 0.67
ARKANSAS
MOUNT IDA: 4.74
HOT SPRINGS: 3.83
MONTICELLO: 3.68
EL DORADO: 3.02
FLIPPIN: 2.93
LITTLE ROCK AFB: 2.87
FORT SMITH: 2.52
BATESVILLE: 2.33
TEXARKANA: 2.32
STUTTGART: 2.30
LITTLE ROCK (LIT): 2.01
RUSSELLVILLE: 1.83
HARRISON: 1.64
PINE BLUFF: 1.28
FAYETTEVILLE: 1.27
MISSOURI
WEST PLAINS: 0.57
SPRINGFIELD: 0.15
JOPLIN: 0.12
OKLAHOMA
MCALESTER: 0.66
MUSKOGEE: 0.15
TULSA: 0.05
TEXAS
PARIS: 0.84
LONGVIEW: 0.73
LUFKIN: 0.62
KANSAS
CHANUTE: 1.02
FLORIDA
PENSACOLA NAS: 3.62
PENSACOLA (PNS): 2.09
DESTIN: 2.08
MARATHON: 2.04
MIAMI (TMB): 1.92
VALPARAISO/EGLIN AFB: 1.69
HOMESTEAD: 1.62
VERO BEACH: 1.58
KEY WEST: 1.46
ALABAMA
MOBILE (BFM BROOKLEY FIELD): 3.10
MOBILE (MOB): 2.22
Text credit: Rob Gutro (from report by the NWS Hydrometeorological Prediction Center), NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Sept. 2, 2008, second update
Two Animations of Gustav
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio> Watch 512x288 animation
> Watch 1280x720 animation NASA's TRMM spacecraft observed this view of Hurricane Gustav on August 31, 2008 as the Gulf Coast braces for the worst. At this time the storm was a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 100 knots (115 mph) and a pressure reading of 957 millibars. The cloud cover 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.
This animation shows the very dangerous Hurricane Gustav on August 31, 2008. Under the clouds is the rain that fuels this storm. The rain is colored according to the height of the clouds. 10 km convective clouds are colored red with lowered clouds colored orange to blue. Hurricane Gustav dumps rain across the entire Gulf Coast Region. This storm is bringing hurricane force winds across over 70 miles.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio> Watch 512x288 animation
> Watch 1280x720 animation The MODIS instrument on Terra captures great details in the clouds surrounding Hurricane Gustav. Gustav may have been undergoing an eyewall replacement on its approach to the coast – with some weakening. Gustav’s eye looks very small and measures less then 25 nautical miles.The National Hurricane Center indicates that hurricane force winds extended up to 70 miles from the center of the storm threatening much of the Gulf Coast Region.
NASA's Terra satellite captured this view of Hurricane Gustav's eye (second animation). At this time the storm had weakened from a category 4 to a category 3 with winds of 115 mph and a pressure reading of 960. NASA's Terra satellite captures this view of Hurricane Gustav's eye. At this time the storm had weakened from a category 4 to a category 3 with winds of 115 mph and a pressure reading of 960.
Text credit: Rob Gutro/Goddard Space Flight Center
Sept. 2, 2008, first update
Tropical Depression Gustav's Flooding Rains Heading to Northeast Texas
Credit: NASA JPL/Colorado State University/Naval Research Laboratory-Monterey> Larger image Just twenty-four hours after the center of Hurricane Gustav made landfall near Cocodrie, Louisiana at 5:00 a.m. EDT as a Category Two hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 110 mph, Gustav is now nearing northwest Louisiana as a tropical depression.
Gustav is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches over portions of Louisiana, western Mississippi, Arkansas, southern Missouri, southeast Oklahoma, and northeastern Texas, with isolated maximum amounts of up to 20 inches possible through Thursday. A few tornadoes are possible over portions of the lower Mississippi valley today.
At 5:00 a.m. EDT on Sept. 2, Gustavs' maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph, and slow weakening is forecast during the next 24 hours. Gustav's center was located near latitude 31.7 north and longitude 93.4 west or about 135 miles northwest of Lafayette, Louisiana. Gustav is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph and a decrease in forward speed with a turn toward the north is expected over the next couple of days. Gustav should be crossing into northeastern Texas later today and tonight. Estimated minimum central pressure is 985 millibars.
CloudSat Looks at Gustav Sliced in Half
NASA's CloudSat satellite's Cloud Profiling Radar captured a sideways look across Gustav on Sept. 1 at 8:15 UTC (4:15 a.m. EDT). For comparison, the top image is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12) around the same time.
The red line through the GOES satellite image shows the vertical cross section of radar, basically what Gustav's clouds looked like sideways. The colors indicate the intensity of the reflected radar energy. The top of Gustav's clouds are over 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) high.
"Gustav is a very compact storm in terms of where the rainfall is occurring, although the cloud fields from the geostationary satellite make it look much larger," said Deborah Vane, CloudSat Mission Project Manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
The blue areas along the top of the clouds indicate cloud ice, while the wavy blue lines on the bottom center of the image indicate intense rainfall. Notice that the solid line along the bottom of the panel, which is the ground, disappears in this area of intense precipitation. It is likely that in the area the precipitation rate exceeds 30mm/hr (1.18 inches/hour) based on previous studies.
Where is Gustav on Tuesday, September 2, 2008?
Credit: NASA JPL> Larger image This infrared image of Gustav was created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), an instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. It was created on Monday, Sept. 1 at 18:59 UTC (2:59 p.m. EDT).
The infrared AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the center of Hurricane Gustav, hours after he made landfall in Louisiana. The purple area is centered right over the coast of Louisiana. The AIRS data creates an accurate 3-D map of atmospheric temperature, water vapor and clouds, all of which are helpful to forecasters.
The infrared signal of the AIRS instrument does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the ocean waters, revealing warmer temperatures in orange and red.
Gustav's Damages
Damages from Hurricane Gustav are just now being reported, but rainfall will be the big story as he continues to move further inland into Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Across Louisiana, more than 800,000 people were without electricity, and some may not see it restored for two weeks or more. There were many reports of strong wind gusts in Louisiana. On Sept. 1, Baton Rouge reported a wind gust to 91 mph. Amerada Pass reported a wind gust to 82 mph, and Shell Beach reported a wind gust of 71 mph.
Water did come over the protective levees around the Industrial Canal on Sept. 1, but the walls appeared to hold. Reports indicated that as much as 6 feet of water poured into an industrial park in the Upper 9th Ward through small gaps in the concrete flood walls.
Gustav was blamed for more than 60 deaths in the Caribbean, including 51 in southwestern Haiti. Several deaths have already been reported in Louisiana.
Now, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi need to be watchful of flooding rains from Gustav as he tracks through those states.
Text credit: Rob Gutro/Goddard Space Flight Center
Sept. 1, 2008, second update
Gustav's Rain Trail
Credit: Jesse Allen/TRMM/Unisys Weather> Larger image A track of heavy rain marks the passages of Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Hannah through the Caribbean between August 25 and September 1, 2008, in this rainfall image. The image was made with rainfall estimates based on data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, and it illustrates two things. First, a tropical cyclone brings intense rain to a broad region, not just to the center of its track, the multi-colored line. Indeed, the heaviest rain, shown in blue, fell to the east or west of the center of both storms, though this could be a function of the way the image was produced. The TRMM satellite measures rainfall rates, the intensity of rainfall, as it passes over a storm. The rainfall totals shown here are estimated based on how much rain was falling in millimeters per hour when TRMM observed the storms between August 25 and September 1. The storms may have poured out more or less rain when the satellite was not overhead.
The second thing that this image illustrates is that rainfall intensity is not necessarily a function of storm size. Gustav seemed to produce more rain as a tropical storm or a weak hurricane than as a powerful Category 4 hurricane. As a tropical storm, Gustav was moving more slowly, staying in one place long enough to deposit a lot of rain. The storm’s center meandered between August 26 and August 29, allowing parts of the storm to linger over or near Haiti for a long time. Hanna’s meandering path on September 1 also resulted in a region of heavy rain over the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Text credit: Holli Riebeek
Sept. 1, 2008, first update
> Larger image
Gustav Moves Inland This Sept. 1 afternoon infrared image from NASA's Aqua spacecraft shows Hurricane Gustav about four hours after the Category Two storm slammed into the Louisiana coast. (Sept. 1)
Image credit: NASA/JPL
Gustav a Relatively Compact Rainmaker
> Larger image
While appearing large in the upper NOAA weather satellite image,
Hurricane Gustav is actually a very compact rainmaker, as evidenced by
the narrow band of heavy rains (reds and yellows) falling in the lower
satellite overpass image from NASA's CloudSat taken at 3 a.m. Central
time Sept. 1.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Colorado State University/Naval Research Laboratory-Monterey
Gustav's Eyewall Crossed Southeastern Louisiana Coast Monday Morning
Gustav was making landfall on the southeastern Louisiana coast around 9:00 a.m. EDT on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1, 2008 as a Category Two Hurricane. Heavy rains, winds, and isolated tornadoes have already been reported.
At that time Gustav's maximum sustained winds were near 110 mph. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 70 miles. His center was near latitude 28.9 north and longitude 90.4 west or about 80 miles south-southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana and about 130 miles southeast of Lafayette, Louisiana. This position is also about 20 miles southwest of Port Fourchon along the Louisiana coast.
Gustav is moving toward the northwest near 16 mph and this motion is expected to continue for the next day or so with some decrease in forward speed and a gradual turn toward the west-northwest on Sept. 2. On the forecast track the center will cross the Louisiana coast by midday today. The minimum central pressure just reported by an Air Force reserve Hurricane hunter aircraft is 957 millibars.
An extremely dangerous storm surge of 10 to 14 feet above normal tidal levels is expected near and to the east of where the center of Gustav crosses the coast. Gustav is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches over portions of Louisiana, southern and western Mississippi, Arkansas and northeastern Texas with isolated maximum amounts of up to 20 inches possible through Sept. 4. Isolated tornadoes are possible over the central gulf coast today.
NASA/NOAA's GOES Project Captures Dramatic Satellite Image
> Larger image
Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project This satellite image was captured on Sept. 1 at 13:32 UTC (9:32 a.m. EDT from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12). In the image, Hurricane Gustav is just crossing the Louisiana coast while Tropical Storm Hanna spins near the Turks and Caicos Islands.
GOES is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was created by NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Live Reports from New Orleans News Radio Station; Tornado Near NASA Stennis
WWL radio, New Orleans, Louisiana, provided live reports at 9:11 a.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 1. One report from Morero, Louisiana indicated strong, gusty winds, and power was lost at 8:40 am EDT. Meanwhile, the Emergency Manager for St. Charles Parish noted that "winds are between 40-45 mph, with a peak gust reported at 57 mph. Should be near Category one hurricane strength later this morning." The heavy wind phase is coming, and the power is out around the Parish.
The National Ocean Service Station in Shell Beach, Louisiana recently reported a wind gust of 64 mph.
The National Weather Service issued tornado warning for Central St. Tammany Parish and central Hancock County in Mississippi. A Doppler radar indicated tornado is reported, and was moving near the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi at 8:45 a.m. CDT. It was moving at 83 mph.
Meteorologist Dave Maddox with the Weather Channel said Slidell and north shore areas are in the tornado watch for today. He also said that there is some dry air working its way into the southern edge of Hurricane Gustav, which will help keep the rain totals down from previously forecast.
> Larger image
Credit: CLOUDSAT Image credit: NASA/JPL/Colorado State University/Naval Research Laboratory-Monterey CloudSat Looks at Gustav Sliced in Half
NASA's CloudSat satellite's Cloud Profiling Radar captured a sideways look across Gustav on Aug. 31 at 7:31 UTC (2:31 a.m. EDT). For comparison, the top image is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12) around the same time.
The red line through the GOES satellite image shows the vertical cross section of radar, basically what Gustav's clouds looked like sideways. The colors indicate the intensity of the reflected radar energy. The top of Gustav's clouds are over 14 kilometers (8.5 miles) high, indicating a strong storm.
The blue areas along the top of the clouds indicate cloud ice, while the wavy blue lines on the bottom center of the image indicate intense rainfall. Notice that the solid line along the bottom of the panel, which is the ground, disappears in this area of intense precipitation. It is likely that in the area the precipitation rate exceeds 30mm/hr (1.18 inches/hour) based on previous studies.
NASA's Aqua Satellite Sees the Cold Clouds of Gustav
> Larger image
Credit: NASA/JPL This infrared image of Gustav was created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), an instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The image was created on August 31 at 17:17 UTC (1:17 p.m. EDT).
The AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of Gustav. The infrared signal of the AIRS instrument does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the ocean and land surfaces, revealing warmer temperatures in orange and red.
For updates on Gustav, see: > National Hurricane Center
Text credit: Rob Gutro/Goddard Space Flight Center
Aug. 31, 2008, second update
Credit: NASA/Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team> Larger image Gustav Plowing Through the Caribbean
This photo-like image of Hurricane Gustav was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on Aug. 31, 2008, at 11:45 local time (16:45 UTC). By this time, Gustav’s strength had reduced to Category 3. Peak sustained winds were around 185 km/hr (115 mph), and storm surge from the whipping winds had brought sea levels as much as 4 meters (12 feet) above normal, according to the National Hurricane Center. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS’ full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel.
Text credit: Jesse Allen/NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/NASA's Earth Observatory
Aug. 31, 2008, first update
> Full resolution
Credit: NASA/JPL Gustav Churns Toward Northern Gulf Coast
Major Hurricane Gustav continues its northward churn through the Gulf of Mexico in this early morning Aug. 31 infrared image from NASA's Aqua spacecraft.
Powerful Gustav Revving Toward Louisiana, New Orleans Evacuates
New Orleans officials are not taking any chances this time with Hurricane Gustav approaching, and a couple of days after the three year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, they've ordered everyone out of the city.
The city's mayor Nagin said in a press conference on Saturday, Aug. 30, "Tonight you need to be scared; you need to get out of New Orleans now."
Hurricane Warnings are up for the northern Gulf Coast as of Sunday, Aug. 31 at 8:00 a.m. EDT as Gustav is moving speedily northwestward in that direction. Hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours.
Where is Gustav on Sunday, August 31, 2008?
> Larger image
> High resolution image
Credit: NASA/JPL At 8:00 a.m. EDT, Gustav's maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 120 mph, but Gustav is a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some re-strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours...and Gustav could regain Category Four strength later today or tonight.
Gustav's center was located near latitude 24.7 north, and longitude 85.5 west or about 375 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Gustav is moving toward the northwest near 16 mph and is expected to continue moving that direction for the next couple of days. Minimum central pressure reported by the Air Force Hurricane hunter is 960 millibars.
The National Hurricane Center notes that "On this track Gustav will be moving across the central Gulf of Mexico today and make landfall on the northern Gulf coast on Monday.
Storm Surges and Heavy Rainfall
The National Hurricane Center expects an extremely dangerous storm surge of 18 to 25 feet above normal tidal levels near and to the east of where the center of Gustav crosses the northern gulf coast. A storm surge of 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels is possible in the Dry Tortugas as Gustav passes to its west.
Gustav is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches over portion of Louisiana, southern Mississippi and southern Arkansas with isolated maximum amounts of up to 20 inches possible through Wednesday morning. Additional rainfall amounts of about an inch are possible over Florida Keys and South Florida. Isolated tornadoes are possible over the central gulf coast later today.
A Look at a Very Large Hurricane Gustav By NASA Satellite
These infrared and visible images were created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), an instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. They were created on August 30 at 19:05 UTC (3:05 p.m. EDT).
> Larger image
Credit: NASA/JPL In the visible image on top, you can see that the cloud cover extends over Cuba and Florida, and the eye of Gustav is clearly visible, indicating a very well structured and strong storm. Gustav is a large tropical cyclone. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 200 miles.
The infrared AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of Gustav. The AIRS data creates an accurate 3-D map of atmospheric temperature, water vapor and clouds, all of which are helpful to forecasters.
The infrared signal of the AIRS instrument does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the ocean waters, revealing warmer temperatures in orange and red.
For updates on Gustav's Track, > National Hurricane Center
Text credit: Rob Gutro/Goddard Space Flight Center
Aug. 30, 2008, fourth update
QuikSCAT Watching Hurricane Gustav's Winds
Credit: NASA/JPL> Larger image NASA's QuikSCAT satellite is keeping tabs on Hurricane Gustav's winds with microwaves that enable QuikSCAT to peer into the clouds. QuikSCAT can determine the speed of the rotating winds. This image from QuikSCAT shows Gustav's wind speeds in different colors and wind direction are indicated by small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. The highest wind speeds, are shown in purple, which indicate winds over 40 knots (46 mph). This image was captured on Aug. 31 at 00:11 UTC (Aug. 30, 8:11 p.m. EDT).
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Aug. 30, 2008, third update
Gustav Grows, Sets Its Eye on Cuba, Gulf
Credit: NASA/JPL> Larger image The clearly defined eye of powerful Hurricane Gustav prepares to strike western Cuba in this Aug. 30 afternoon infrared image from NASA's Aqua spacecraft. At the time Gustav was approaching Category Five strength.
Gustav Makes Its Way Through the Caribbean
On the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, all eyes are focused on Gustav as the storm, which is forecast to enter the Gulf of Mexico and become a major hurricane, continues to makes it way through the Caribbean. Meanwhile, the residents of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica have already begun the cleanup after their encounter with Gustav.
> Larger image
Credit: NASA Gustav originated from an area of low pressure that had entered the southeastern Caribbean during the night of Saturday August 23rd. Initially this low pressure center paralleled the northern coast of Venezuela as it moved in a general westward direction. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (also known as TRMM) has been in service for over 10 years now and continues to provide valuable images and information on tropical cyclones around the Tropics using a combination of passive microwave and active radar sensors.
TRMM obtained this image of the area of showers and thundershowers associated with the low pressure. The image was taken at 16:46 UTC (12:46 pm EDT) 24 August 2008 and shows the horizontal pattern of rainfall from the showers and thundershowers associated with the low while it was passing north of Venezuela in the southeastern Caribbean. Rain rates in the center of the swath come from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) and those in the outer swath from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). TRMM shows that the area of low pressure is providing the focus for a broad area of shower activity generally composed of light to moderate rain (blue and green areas, respectively) but with occasional areas of heavier rain (shown by the red areas). At this time, there is very little sign of cyclonic organization; most of the rain activity stretches in a straight line from west-southwest to east-northeast.
Over the next 24 hours, as this area of low pressure began to pull away from the northern coast of Venezuela and into the central Caribbean, it began to organize. Around midday on the 25th (local time), this area of low pressure was upgraded to tropical depression #7 (TD #7). Soon after, TD #7 was further upgraded by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to a tropical storm and given the name Gustav.
> Larger image
Credit: NASA By the this time, the system was moving to the northwest towards Haiti. During the early morning hours of the 26th, Gustav became a hurricane as it neared the southern coast of Hispaniola. On the afternoon of the 26th, Gustav made landfall on the south-central coast of Haiti as a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds reported at 90 mph by NHC.
The next image from TRMM was taken at 16:34 UTC (12:34 EDT) on August 26th just as Gustav was making landfall along the southern coast of Haiti. Although the center of the storm does not fall within the PR swath, an eyewall is evident by the ring of moderate intensity rain (see the nearly complete green ring). Other bands of moderate intensity rain (green areas) are visible east of the center. These rainbands are rotating counter-clockwise around the storm and bringing heavy rainfall into Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
TRMM can be used to calibrate rainfall estimates from other satellites. The TRMM- based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides estimates of rainfall over the global Tropics. TMPA rainfall totals, which are associated mainly with Gustav, are shown here for the period 22 to 29 August 2008 for Hispaniola. The highest rainfall totals for the period (shown in red) exceed 350 mm (~14 inches) and are located over southeastern Haiti over and just to the east of where Gustav came ashore. Most of southern Haiti and southwestern parts of the Dominican Republic received at least 200 mm (~8 inches, shown in yellow) of rain. Unfortunately, 59 people died as a result in Haiti and 8 in the Dominican Republic mainly from flooding and mudslides.
> Larger image
Credit: NASA After passing over Haiti, Gustav weakened and was downgraded to a tropical storm on the evening of the 26th (local time) as a result of its interaction with the island of Hispaniola. During the day on the 27th, Gustav moved slowly westward away from Haiti. Over night, the storm turned more toward the south, as it struggled to maintain tropical storm intensity. On the morning of the 28th, Gustav resumed a westward motion as it took aim at Jamaica and began to regain some of its strength. On the 28th, Gustav moved along the southern side of Jamaica with sustained winds of 60 knots (~70 mph). Eleven people are reported to have died in Jamaica from the storm.
After again weakening due to its interaction with land, Gustav headed west-northwest away from the island on the 29th over the warm waters of the northwestern Caribbean. With conditions favorable, Gustav began to re-intensify once again and became a hurricane for the second time on the afternoon of the 29th.
> Larger image
Credit: NASA This last image from TRMM was taken at 15:25 UTC (11:25 am EDT) 29 August just before Gustav became a hurricane again. Again, although the center does not fall within the PR swath and although not yet apparent in the visible and IR data, it is obvious that Gustav has a well-defined eye as evidenced by the distinct ring of moderate rain (green ring). The presence of a well-defined eye indicates that Gustav has a well-developed cyclonic circulation. Gustav is forecast to become a major hurricane when it enters the Gulf and Mexico and to threaten the northern Gulf Coast of the US.
TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.
Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Aug. 30, 2008, second update
Major Hurricane Gustav Closes in on Western Cuba
Credit: NASA/JPL
> Larger image Gustav exploded into a major hurricane in the overnight hours from Aug. 29 to Aug. 30. He's now a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph, and he's enroute to western Cuba.
At 11:00 a.m. EDT Gustav's center was near latitude 21.2 north and longitude 82.1 west or about 55 miles east-southeast of the Isle of Youth and about 185 miles east of the western tip of Cuba. He's moving northwest near 14 mph and will pass over western parts of Cuba today and tonight. By early Sunday, Aug. 31, he'll be back into the southern Gulf of Mexico.
Rainfall and Storm Surges in the Caymans, Western Cuba
The National Hurricane Center warns that coastal storm surge flooding of 2 to 5 feet above normal tide levels is possible in the Cayman Islands with as much as 14 to 19 feet possible near where the center of Gustav crosses western Cuba including the Isle of Youth. Storm surge of 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels is possible in the Dry Tortugas as Gustav passes to its west.
Gustav is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches across the Cayman Islands and central and western Cuba. Rain in isolated areas can be as high as 25 inches. The Florida Keys and extreme south Florida will also be affected by Sunday morning with rainfall between 1 and 3 inches.
The NASA Satellite Image
The visible image of Gustav above was created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), an instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. It was created on August 28 at 18:23 UTC (2:23 p.m. EDT).
What's the Story on the Intensity Changes in Gustav?
The National Hurricane Center forecasters are watching Gustav closely after its rapid intensification overnight. The rate of strengthening has slowed even though Gustav's minimum central pressure has kept falling. Falling pressure in a tropical cyclone indicates strengthening. The pressure is now down to 954 millibars.
While he's over western Cuba, he won't strengthen, as hurricanes usually weaken over land (and cut off from their power source of warm waters over 80 degrees Fahrenheit). Computer forecast models agree, that once he passes over Cuba, the very warm southern Gulf of Mexico waters will increase his winds again.
What's the Forecast Track?
Forecasters at the Hurricane Center agree that it looks like Gustav will make landfall in the early morning hours Tuesday, Sept. 2 in central or western Louisiana. While it may not be a direct hit to New Orleans, the most powerful winds of a hurricane are on its northeast side. That would be the side facing New Orleans if Gustav makes landfall to the west of the city.
For hurricane watches and warnings, visit: > National Hurricane Center
Text credit: Rob Gutro/Goddard Space Flight Center
Aug. 30, 2008, first update
Hurricane Gustav Strengthens to Category 3 Storm
Credit: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team
> Larger image Overnight Gustav strengthened into a very dangerous Category 3 hurricane with winds near 115 mph with higher gusts. Gustav becomes the second major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season following Bertha in July.
Gustav has already killed 71 people in the Caribbean and is now setting his sights on the deep waters of the northwest Caribbean Sea and the southern Gulf of Mexico. Because of the depth and warmth of these waters, forecasters are expecting a further intensification of Gustav's strength in the next 24 to 36 hours.
The image above was taken on August 29 by the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite. This shows Gustav moving along the southern side of Jamaica. At that time, Gustav had sustained winds of 60 knots (~70 mph). Eleven people are reported to have died in Jamaica from the storm.
What's Next for Gustav?
The National Hurricane Center is predicting that Gustav will be strengthening in the Gulf, however, the loop current which brings in the warmest waters to the Gulf is south of its typical location and the waters that Gustav will be traversing on his way to the Gulf States are not as warm as usual. This will hopefully weaken the storm before it makes U.S. landfall. However, the forecast for Gustav is that he will still be a significant and major storm when he does make landfall sometime in the morning hours Tuesday.
Stay tuned throughout the weekend as continual updates to Gustav's position and strength will be reported here. We will also be providing images of Gustav from the many NASA satellites that are continuously monitoring the storm. Text credit: Lynn Jenner
Gustav Strengthens in the Caribbean
> Larger image
A swirl of purple marks the high, cold clouds atop Hurricane Gustav in this Aug. 29 afternoon image from NASA's Aqua spacecraft. Gustav is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane Monday between Texas and Mississippi.Aug. 29, 2008, second update
Gustav Over Jamaica
Credit: NASA/Jesse Allen, MODIS Rapid Response Team> Larger image Hurricane Gustav hung over Jamaica on the afternoon of August 29, 2008, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image. A small dark depression hints at the location of the eye. At the time that MODIS acquired this image, Gustav was a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour).
Text credit: Holli Riebeek, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/NASA's Earth Observatory
August 29, 2008, first update
Tropical Storm Gustav to Strengthen, Targets Cuba
Image by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) > Larger image Tropical Storm Gustav is going to pick up steam and strengthen into a hurricane as he goes into the Gulf this weekend. The National Hurricane Center is currently forecasting a landfall in Louisiana early Tuesday morning, Sept. 2.
At 8:00 a.m. EDT on Friday, August 29, 2008 Gustav was moving west of Jamaica, and will move near or over the Cayman Islands later today or tonight. Then he'll move near or over western portions of Cuba on Saturday and Saturday night.
At 8:00 a.m., the center of tropical storm Gustav was located near latitude 18.3 north...longitude 78.3 west, about 100 miles west-northwest of Kingston, Jamaica and about 200 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 65 mph and strengthening is likely during the next couple of days. Gustav is moving toward the west-northwest near 8 mph and should turn northwest by Saturday. Gustav is expected to become a hurricane later today or tomorrow. Gustav could become a major hurricane before reaching western Cuba. The minimum central pressure recently reported by an Air Force Reconnaissance aircraft was 988 millibars.
The image above was made from data captured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite on August 29 at 00:33 UTC (8:33 p.m. EDT on Aug. 28). This TRMM image shows the horizontal pattern of rain intensity within Gustav. The center is located near the yellow, green and red areas, which indicate rainfall between 20 and 40 millimeters (.78 to 1.57 inches) per hour. The red area is considered moderate rainfall.
For more information about how TRMM looks at rainfall, visit NASA's TRMM website at: > TRMM site. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.
Text credit: Rob Gutro/Goddard Space Flight Center
Aug. 28, 2008, fifth update
Hanna and Gustav in the Atlantic
Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project> Larger image This satellite image from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12) was created on August 28, when Tropical Storm Gustav was near Kingston, Jamaica, and Tropical Storm Hanna was about 305 miles away from the northern Leeward Islands.
Text credit: NOAA
August 28, 2008, fourth update
Gulf's Warm Ocean Circulation Features May Fuel Gustav
> Larger image Tropical Storm Gustav will have to walk a fine line to dodge the deep, warm ocean circulation features in the Gulf of Mexico that often cause hurricanes in the Gulf to rapidly intensify: the Loop Current and its associated eddies. The actual track of a hurricane is primarily dependent upon steering winds, which are forecasted through the use of atmospheric models. However, the interaction of the hurricane with the upper ocean is the primary source of energy for the storm. Hurricane intensity is therefore greatly affected by the upper ocean temperature structure and can exhibit explosive growth over warm ocean currents and eddies. Because the Loop Current and its eddies are warmer, and thus higher in surface elevation, than the surrounding waters, they are easily spotted by satellite altimeters. Hurricane forecasters use satellite altimetry to estimate the heat content of the upper ocean to assess the potential for intensification.
This Aug. 29 image, generated by the University of Colorado's Center for Astrodynamics Research, plots the predicted path of Gustav, as indicated by the most recent National Weather Service National Hurricane Center forecast track, against a near-real-time map of sea surface height and associated ocean circulation features in the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Caribbean. The map is created with altimeter data from three satellites: the NASA/French Space Agency Jason-1, the European Space Agency's Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT) and the U.S. Navy's Geosat Follow-On (GFO). The forecast track predicts that Gustav will pass over the Loop Current and intensify into a strong Category 2 hurricane on Sunday, Aug. 31.
The Loop Current is the large red (warm) feature in the image north of Cuba and west of Florida. Part of the Gulf Stream, the Loop Current begins as a large flow of warm water from the Caribbean. It heads up into the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico, then turns south and finally moves out through the Straits of Florida. Deep and fast moving, the Loop Current often breaks off and forms strong, clockwise rotating eddies called anticyclones that travel westward into the Gulf. The currents along the outer edges of the Loop Current, as well as these eddies, have been clocked at speeds as high as three to four knots (three to five miles per hour), comparable to the fastest ocean currents ever observed.
The Jason-1 satellite carries a dual-frequency radar altimeter. This instrument beams microwave pulses-at 13.6 and 5.3 Gigahertz, respectively-downward toward Earth. To determine the ocean's height, the instrument precisely measures the time it takes for the microwave pulses to bounce off the surface and return to the spacecraft. This measure, multiplied by the speed of light, gives the range from the satellite to the ocean surface.
The joint U.S.-French Jason-1 mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For more information on Jason-1 and its follow-on mission, the Ocean Surface Topography Mission, see > OSTM site. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Colorado; Text Credit: Alan Buis, NASA JPL
Aug. 28, 2008, third update
Tropical Storm Gustav Drenching Jamaica, Louisiana on Alert
Credit: NASA/JPL/Colorado State University/Naval Research Laboratory-MontereyHurricane warnings are in full-effect in Jamaica, and the island nation is currently being pounded with heavy rains and strong winds that are on the verge of hurricane strength. According to the National Hurricane Center, forecast computer models will carry Gustav into the Gulf and toward Louisiana as a strong hurricane. Forecasts, however, can change and that's what residents of hurricane-weary Louisiana are hoping for.
Hurricane forecasters take Gustav on a landfall in Louisiana at the beginning of next week, and New Orleans city officials and state legislators are taking it seriously. New Orleans officials started preliminary planning to evacuate and lock down the city. Meanwhile, the Governor declared a state of emergency and put about 3,000 troops in the National Guard on standby.
At 2:00 p.m. EDT Gustav had maximum sustained winds near 70 mph, just 4 miles per hour shy of being classified a Category One Hurricane. Gustav's center was located near the eastern tip of Jamaica or near latitude 17.9 north and longitude 76.2 west or about 40 miles east of Kingston, Jamaica.
Aug. 28, 2008, second update
Tropical Storm Gustav Drenching Jamaica, Louisiana on Alert
Credit: NASA/JPL> Larger image Hurricane warnings are in full-effect in Jamaica, and the island nation is currently being pounded with heavy rains and strong winds that are on the verge of hurricane strength. According to the National Hurricane Center, forecast computer models will carry Gustav into the Gulf and toward Louisiana as a strong hurricane. Forecasts, however, can change and that's what residents of hurricane-weary Louisiana are hoping for.
QuikSCAT Watching Gustav's Winds
NASA's QuikSCAT satellite has been watching Gustav's winds increase again by using microwaves to peer into the clouds. QuikSCAT can determine the speed of the rotating winds. This image from QuikSCAT shows Gustav's wind speeds in different colors and wind direction are indicated by small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. The highest wind speeds, are shown in purple, which indicate winds over 40 knots (46 mph). This image was captured on Aug. 28 at 10:57 UTC (6:57 a.m. EDT) when Gustav center was nearing Jamaica.
Louisiana On Alert
Hurricane forecasters take Gustav on a landfall in Louisiana at the beginning of next week, and New Orleans city officials and state legislators are taking it seriously. New Orleans officials started preliminary planning to evacuate and lock down the city. Meanwhile, the Governor declared a state of emergency and put about 3,000 troops in the National Guard on standby.
Where is Gustav?
At 2:00 p.m. EDT Gustav had maximum sustained winds near 70 mph, just 4 miles per hour shy of being classified a Category One Hurricane. Gustav's center was located near the eastern tip of Jamaica or near latitude 17.9 north and longitude 76.2 west or about 40 miles east of Kingston, Jamaica.
Gustav is moving toward the west near 5 mph and should keep moving that direction, although speeding up. He's then forecast to turn to the west-northwest. The estimated minimum central pressure is 983 millibars.
Gustav is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches across Jamaica and the Cayman Islands...with isolated maximum amounts of up to 25 inches possible.
Coastal storm surge flooding of 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels along with large and dangerous battering waves can be expected in areas of onshore winds in the tropical storm warning area.
Credit: NASA/JPL/Colorado State University/Naval Research Laboratory-Monterey> Larger image CloudSat Scans a Strengthening Gustav Sideways
NASA's CloudSat satellite's Cloud Profiling Radar captured a sideways look across Gustav on Aug. 28 at 6:55 UTC (2:55 a.m. EDT). For comparison, the top image is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12) around the same time.
The red line through the GOES satellite image shows the vertical cross section of radar, basically what Gustav's clouds looked like sideways. The colors indicate the intensity of the reflected radar energy. The top of Gustav's clouds reach 14 kilometers or over 8.5 miles high.
The blue areas along the top of the clouds indicate cloud ice, while the wavy blue lines on the bottom center of the image indicate intense rainfall. Notice that the solid line along the bottom of the panel, which is the ground, disappears in this area of intense precipitation. It is likely that in the area the precipitation rate exceeds 30mm/hr (1.18 inches/hour) based on previous studies.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Aug. 28, 2008, first update
Visualization of Hurricane Gustav on Aug. 27, 2008
NASA's TRMM spacecraft observed this view of Hurricane Gustav on August 27, 2008 as it attacked Haiti. At this time the storm was a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 65 knots (75 mph) and a pressure reading of 992 millibars. The cloud cover 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.
> Download the visualization
Tropical Storm Gustav Already Deadly, Eyes Jamaica
Credit: NASA/JPL> Larger image Tropical Storm Gustav was responsible for 22 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic over the last few days as it slammed into those countries. Now, it's headed toward Jamaica and is expected to strengthen back into a hurricane later today.
At 7:30 a.m. EDT on Aug. 28, Gustav's center was located near latitude 17.8 north and longitude 75.6 west or about 80 miles east of Kingston, Jamaica. Hurricane Warnings are already in effect for Jamaica, and hurricane conditions are imminent.
Gustav hasn't moved much overnight, but should start picking up speed in a west-southwesterly direction near 6 mph, then turn toward the west later. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 70 mph, and he's expected to reach hurricane strength later today. Minimum central pressure is 988 millibars.
Gustav is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches over southern Cuba, and 6 to 12 inches over Haiti, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands, with isolated maximum amounts of up to 25 inches possible.
Credit: NASA/JPL> Larger image Coastal storm surge flooding of 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels along with large and dangerous battering waves can be expected in areas of onshore winds in the tropical storm warning area.
The NASA Satellite Images
These infrared and visible images of Gustav were created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), an instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. It was created on August 27 at 18:35 UTC (2:35 p.m. EDT).
The infrared AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of Hurricane Gustav. The AIRS data creates an accurate 3-D map of atmospheric temperature, water vapor and clouds, all of which are helpful to forecasters.
The infrared signal of the AIRS instrument does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the ocean waters, revealing warmer temperatures in orange and red.
Gustav's Threat Bringing Oil Prices Up Again
BBC News reported on the morning of August 28, that oil prices have risen for a fourth straight day as Gustav will likely affect oil production in the Gulf of Mexico.
They reported "U.S. light crude was up 74 cents to $118.89 a barrel in Thursday trading."
Eighty-five percent of offshore oil and gas production in the U.S. are at the risk of being affected. Shell Oil has already started to evacuate some of their staff from its offshore facilities in the gulf.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Aug. 27, 2008, second update
Gustav Moving Away from Hispanola
Credit: NASA/Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team> Larger image At 2:00 p.m. EDT, Aug. 27, Gustav was pulling away from Hispanola into warm waters. It was located near latitude 18.8 north and longitude 74.4 west or about 140 miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti and about 90 miles south-southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba.
Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph with higher gusts. Slow strengthening is forecast once Gustav moves away from Haiti and the storm could regain hurricane strength within the next day or two. The estimated minimum central pressure is 997 millibars. Gustav is moving toward the west near 5 mph.
Gustav is already blamed for 20 deaths in the Caribbean, according to CBS News. It's also responsible for higher oil prices in the stock market today, with oil at $118 per barrel.
This photo-like image was made from data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of the storm at 1:55 p.m. local time (17:55 UTC) on August 26. Hurricane Gustav was centered just south of Haiti and bringing strong winds and heavy rain to the southern peninsula of Haiti, which is a major crop and fruit growing region in a country already struggling with severe food price hikes and shortages.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Aug. 27, 2008, first update
Gustav Pouring on Haiti, Heading Between Cuba and Jamaica
Tropical Storm Gustav was exiting Haiti on Wed. Aug. 27, and is headed on a track that will carry his center between southeastern Cuba and the island of Jamaica on Aug. 28. Jamaica is under a Hurricane Watch, as Gustav is expected to strengthen once back in open warm waters. Meanwhile there are 2 more areas that the National Hurricane Center is watching for development in the Atlantic.
At 8:00 a.m. EDT on Aug. 27, Gustav's center was located near latitude 18.8 north...longitude 73.7 west or about 90 miles west of Port au Prince, Haiti and about 120 miles southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba.
Gustav is moving toward the northwest near 5 mph and should veer to the west-northwest later today. His maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph, 14 mph under Category One hurricane strength. However, the warm waters of the Gulf will enable Gustav to re-strengthen. Minimum central pressure estimated from Air Force reconnaissance Aircraft data is 997 millibars.
Gustav is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 6 to12 inches over Hispaniola, eastern Cuba, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands, with isolated maximum amounts of up to 25 inches possible!
Coastal storm surge flooding of 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels along with large and dangerous battering waves can be expected in areas of onshore winds in the tropical storm warning area.
The NASA Satellite Image
Credit: NASA/JPL
> Larger image This infrared image of Gustav was created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), an instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. It was created on August 26 at 17:53 UTC (1:53 p.m. EDT).
The AIRS images show the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of Hurricane Gustav. The AIRS data creates an accurate 3-D map of atmospheric temperature, water vapor and clouds, all of which are helpful to forecasters.
The infrared signal of the AIRS instrument does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the ocean waters, revealing warmer temperatures in orange and red.
Two More Areas in the Atlantic to Watch
The Atlantic Hurricane Season is in full-swing with Fay's remnants tracking through the mid-Atlantic, Gustav drenching Hispanola and headed into the Gulf of Mexico, and now two more areas of possible development.
According to the National Hurricane Center, "a broad area of low pressure centered several hundred miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Upper-level winds are forecast to gradually become more conducive for development of this system during the next couple of days as it moves slowly northwestward."
In addition, there's a large tropical wave located over the far eastern Atlantic Ocean. It's located several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde islands, and has some potential for slow development over the next couple of days.
Text credit: Rob Gutro/Goddard Space Flight Center
Aug. 26, 2008, third update
Animation: Hurricane Gustav slams Haiti
NASA's TRMM spacecraft observed this view of Hurricane Gustav on August 26, 2008 just before it made landfall in Haiti. At this time the storm sustained winds of 75 knots (86 mph) and a pressure reading of 984 millibars. The cloud cover 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. > View and download animation
Aug. 26, 2008, second update
Gustav Makes Landfall on the Southwest Peninsula of Haiti, Eyes Cuba
Credit: NASA/JPL/Colorado State University/Naval Research Laboratory-Monterey> Larger image Hurricane Warnings are in effect in Hispanola, and now in Cuba as Gustav is heading in that direction. Gustav's eye made landfall around 1 p.m. EDT in the southwest peninsula of Haiti, about 10 miles west of Jacmel as a Category one hurricane.
At 2:00 p.m. EDT, Gustav's center was located near 18.2 degrees north and longitude 72.8 west or about 40 miles southwest of Port au Prince, Haiti and about 190 miles southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba.
Gustav is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph a turn toward the west-northwest with a decrease in forward speed forecast is expected later today. Then he's expected to move west-northwestward. On this track this hurricane should move across the southwestern peninsula of Haiti later today and near or just south of eastern Cuba on Wednesday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 90 mph with higher gusts. Gustav is a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. As Gustav moves over Haiti, some weakening will occur, but he's expected to regain strength once back in the open warm waters of the Caribbean. Estimated minimum central pressure is 981 millibars.
Heavy Rainfall Expected from Gustav
Gustav is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches over Hispaniola, Eastern Cuba, and Jamaica with isolated maximum amounts of up to 20 inches possible These rains will likely produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.
Coastal storm surge flooding of 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels along with large and dangerous battering waves can be expected in areas of onshore winds in the hurricane warning area.
CloudSat Scans a Strengthening Gustav Sideways
NASA's CloudSat satellite's Cloud Profiling Radar captured a sideways look across Hurricane Gustav. This is a combination of the CloudSat image (on the bottom) and an image from NASA's Aqua satellite (top) created on Aug. 25 at 6:22 UTC (1:22 a.m. EDT).
The top image from NASA's Aqua satellite was supplied through the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. It was created using data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer- EOS (AMSR-E). Over the ocean, AMSR-E microwave frequencies probe through smaller cloud particles to measure the microwave emissions from larger raindrops. AMSR-E provides improved measurements of rainfall rates.
The image on the bottom is from NASA's CloudSat satellite. The red line through the Aqua satellite image shows the vertical cross section of radar, basically what Gustav's clouds looked like sideways. The colors indicate the intensity of the reflected radar energy. The top of Gustav's clouds reach almost to 14 kilometers, or approximately 8.7 miles high.
The blue areas along the top of the clouds indicate cloud ice, while the wavy blue lines on the bottom center of the image indicate intense rainfall. Notice that the solid line along the bottom of the panel, which is the ground, disappears in this area of intense precipitation. It is likely that in the area the precipitation rate exceeds 30mm/hr (1.18 inches/hour) based on previous studies.
Credit: NASA/JPL> Larger image QuikSCAT Watching Gustav's Winds
NASA's QuikSCAT satellite has been watching Gustav's winds increase dramatically over the last 24 hours, by using microwaves to peer into the clouds. QuikSCAT can determine the speed of the rotating winds. This image from QuikSCAT shows Gustav's wind speeds in different colors and wind direction are indicated by small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. The highest wind speeds, are shown in purple, which indicate winds over 40 knots (46 mph). This image was captured on Aug. 25 at 23:02 UTC (7:02 p.m. EDT) when Gustav center was heading toward Haiti.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Aug. 26, 2008, first update
Gustav Explodes Into a Hurricane in Less Than a Day, Targets Haiti
Credit: NASA/JPL> Larger image Gustav has been developing very quickly in the warm waters of the Caribbean. From an area of low pressure to a hurricane in 24 hours, Gustav is now nearing the south coast of Haiti on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. EDT.
At 8:00 a.m. EDT the center of Hurricane Gustav was located near latitude 17.5 north and longitude 72.0 west or about 75 miles south-southeast of port au prince haiti and about 265 miles southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 90 mph with higher gusts. Gustav is a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The hurricane could become a category two hurricane before landfall in Haiti later today.
Gustav is moving toward the northwest near 9 mph and this motion is expected to continue today with a turn toward the west-northwest and a decrease in forward speed forecast on Wednesday. On this track this hurricane should move over southwestern Haiti later today and near or just south of eastern Cuba on Wednesday, Aug. 27. The latest minimum central pressure reported by an Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft is 981 millibars.
Gustav is going to be a big rainmaker, like Fay. He's expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 4 to 7 inches over southern Hispaniola and Jamaica, with isolated maximum amounts of up to 15 inches possible. These rains may produce fife-threatening flash floods and mud slides. Coastal storm surge flooding of 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels can be expected near and to the east of where the center makes landfall.
The NASA Satellite Image
This infrared image of Gustav was created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), an instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. It was created on August 25 at 6:17 UTC (2:17 a.m. EDT).
The AIRS images show the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of Hurricane Gustav. The AIRS data creates an accurate 3-D map of atmospheric temperature, water vapor and clouds, all of which are helpful to forecasters.
The infrared signal of the AIRS instrument does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the ocean waters, revealing warmer temperatures in orange and red.
Gustav Forecast to be a Major Hurricane in the Gulf
After Gustav crosses Haiti and enters the Gulf of Mexico, he's forecast to be over extremely warm waters with relatively light shear (winds that tear a storm apart). The National Hurricane Center's official intensity forecast now calls for Gustav to be a major hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean Sea. Most indications are that Gustav will be an extremely dangerous hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean Sea in a few days.
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
August 22, 2008 - second update
Tropical Depression 7-E Becomes Tropical Storm Gustav
He was born in the late morning hours, and by early after he grew from a tropical depression into Tropical Storm Gustav near Hispanola.
At 2:00 p.m. EDT Aug 25, the tropical storm watch has been changed to a hurricane watch for Haiti from north of Port-au-prince to the northern border of the Dominican Republic. A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area...generally within 36 hours.
Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours and Gustav could strengthen into a hurricane prior to moving over land.
At 2 p.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Gustav was located near latitude 15.8 north longitude and 70.5 west or about 225 miles south-southeast of Port au Prince Haiti. Gustav is moving toward the northwest near 14 mph. Minimum central pressure is 996 millibars.
August 22, 2008
Seventh Tropical Depression Forms in Central Caribbean
Credit: NOAA/NASA GOES Project
> Larger image that includes Fay The Seventh tropical depression of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season has formed in the central Caribbean on Monday, August, 25 around 11 a.m. EDT, while Tropical Depression Fay is still soaking parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and western Florida.
Tropical depression Seven-E is likely to become tropical storm Gustav later today. At 11:00 a.m. EDT a tropical storm watch has been issued for Haiti from north of Port-au-Prince to the northern border of the Dominican Republic.
At that time, Tropical Depression 7-E's center was located near latitude 15.5 north and longitude 70.1 west or about 260 miles southeast of Port au Prince, Haiti. The depression is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. Estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 millibars.
This satellite image was captured on August 25 at 14:25 UTC (10:45 a.m. EDT from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-11). In the image, tropical depression Fay is located near the center of the satellite image, over lower Mississippi and Alabama. Tropical Depression 7-E is in the far right corner approaching Hispanola.
GOES is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was created by NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Text Credit: Rob Gutro/Goddard Space Flight Center