Images
September 3, 2010 - Hurricane Earl (07L) over the Leeward Islands
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Hurricane Earl swirls over Puerto Rico and the Leeward islands on August 30, 2010 when the Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite passed overhead. At the time of this image, the storm sports a distinct eye, which spanned 17 miles (28 km) and had just intensified to a Category 4 Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, with maximal sustained winds of 135 miles (215 km) per hour. The storm was moving west-northwest at 15 miles (24 km) per hour.
This storm formed as Tropical Depression Seven on the morning of August 25, 2010 in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean, and to the west of the Cape Verde Islands. By the evening it had reached Tropical Storm status and had been named Earl. For several days Tropical Storm Earl was embedded in the deep tropical Atlantic Trade Wind flow, and was carried to the west-northwest.
At 11:00 AM AST on August 29, 2010, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported the storm had reached Category 1 Hurricane status, with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles (110 km) per hour. It still tracked to the west-northwest, but was predicted to turn more northwards as it begin to interact with a subtropical ridge to the northwest. It was also predicted to reach major hurricane status within a day or two, which it did the next day, on August 30, near the time this image was taken.
By the evening of September 2, Hurricane Earl approached the eastern coast of the United States as a Category 4 Hurricane, with maximum sustained wind speeds as high as 145 miles (230 km) per hour. The track was predicted to bring the eye of the storm about 200 miles off the coast of North Carolina, then north towards New England. After periods of intensification and weakening, by 9:00 PM EST on September 2, 2010 the northwestern part of the storm began to pound the North Carolina coast and the Outer Banks, bringing rain, battering waves and rip currents. At that time it had weakened to a Category 2 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles (180 km) per hour. Hurricane warnings had been put into effect as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/30/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Hurricane Earl swirls over Puerto Rico and the Leeward islands on August 30, 2010 when the Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite passed overhead. At the time of this image, the storm sports a distinct eye, which spanned 17 miles (28 km) and had just intensified to a Category 4 Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, with maximal sustained winds of 135 miles (215 km) per hour. The storm was moving west-northwest at 15 miles (24 km) per hour.
This storm formed as Tropical Depression Seven on the morning of August 25, 2010 in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean, and to the west of the Cape Verde Islands. By the evening it had reached Tropical Storm status and had been named Earl. For several days Tropical Storm Earl was embedded in the deep tropical Atlantic Trade Wind flow, and was carried to the west-northwest.
At 11:00 AM AST on August 29, 2010, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported the storm had reached Category 1 Hurricane status, with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles (110 km) per hour. It still tracked to the west-northwest, but was predicted to turn more northwards as it begin to interact with a subtropical ridge to the northwest. It was also predicted to reach major hurricane status within a day or two, which it did the next day, on August 30, near the time this image was taken.
By the evening of September 2, Hurricane Earl approached the eastern coast of the United States as a Category 4 Hurricane, with maximum sustained wind speeds as high as 145 miles (230 km) per hour. The track was predicted to bring the eye of the storm about 200 miles off the coast of North Carolina, then north towards New England. After periods of intensification and weakening, by 9:00 PM EST on September 2, 2010 the northwestern part of the storm began to pound the North Carolina coast and the Outer Banks, bringing rain, battering waves and rip currents. At that time it had weakened to a Category 2 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles (180 km) per hour. Hurricane warnings had been put into effect as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/30/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
