Update On Hurricane IVO and TD #10

Hurricane Ivo Continues Its Northward Trek

Hurricane Ivo, which at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 21 was a Category One storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 knots (75 miles per hour), continues to move north toward Baja, Calif., in this infrared image from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite. Ivo is expected to weaken to a tropical storm later today and make landfall in Baja, Calif., as a tropical storm some time on Monday, Sept. 24. The image, acquired at 5 a.m. EDT Sept. 21, shows large areas of strong convection surrounding the core of the storm (in purple).

Image credit: NASA/JPL

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Tropical Depression Ten Forms in the Gulf of Mexico



Tropical Depression Ten, expected to become Tropical Storm Jerry later today, formed in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico south of the Florida Panhandle on Friday, Sept. 21, and is expected to make landfall somewhere in the U.S. Gulf Coast on Sept. 22. This infrared image from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite was acquired at 3:17 a.m. EDT Sept. 21, while the system was still subtropical. At 2 p.m. EDT Sept. 21, Tropical Depression Ten had maximum sustained winds near 30 knots (35 miles per hour), and was moving toward the northwest near 18 kilometers per hour (11 miles per hour). 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 the storm. The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red).

Image credit: NASA/JPL

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The Jason Project - Operation Monster Storms! + Hurricane IVO!

The Jason Project was founded by famed Oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard. This organization is one of two that Ballard founded. The other is Immersion Presents. I cannot say enough about either of these programs. Both are interactive programs that beam ocean and underwater explorations directly to the classroom. Both are just amazing! Ballard also founded the Institute for Exploration, which specializes in deep-sea archaeology and deep-sea geology. It joined forces in 1999 with the Mystic Aquarium located in Mystic, Connecticut. They are a part of the non-profit Sea Research Foundation, Inc. The JASON Project, named for the mythological Greek explorer has connected more than 10 million students and teachers with real scientific exploration and discovery.

Today I am going to focus on a new Jason Project. There is some very exciting weather related news from Jason. The organization has released Monster Storms.
From the webiste: "Operation: Monster Storms transports classrooms to the center of Earth’s most extreme weather events. Fly into the eye of a hurricane or chase tornadoes through Tornado Alley. Learn how powerful storms form and how cutting-edge technology is used to better understand and forecast weather. Developed in partnership with NOAA, NASA, and the National Geographic Society, Operation: Monster Storms examines current research to improve forecasting, allowing communities to better prepare for storms and avoid their destructive potential. From collecting data on the ground to using instruments in the sky and analyzing satellite images from space, students join leading weather scientists as they explore wild weather while learning key National Science Education Standards (NSES)."

Operation: Monster Storms transports classrooms to the center of Earth’s most extreme weather events. Fly into the eye of a hurricane or chase tornados through Tornado Alley. Learn how powerful storms form and how cutting-edge technology is used to better understand and forecast weather. Developed in partnership with NOAA, NASA, and the National Geographic Society, Operation: Monster Storms examines current research to improve forecasting, allowing communities to better prepare for storms and avoid their destructive potential.

From collecting data on the ground to using instruments in the sky and analyzing satellite images from space, students join leading weather scientists as they explore wild weather while learning key National Science Education Standards (NSES).

Please visit the Jason Project Website for further details. I highly recommend this program to all school systems.

Weather Story
From FEMA

Eastern Pacific:
Hurricane IVO

Hurricane Ivo is located about 470 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Ivo is moving toward the north-northwest at 6 mph with an estimated minimum central pressure 987 MB (29.15 inches). Maximum sustained winds are 75 mph with gusts to 92 mph. The forward motion has slowed as Ivo makes its way around the western periphery of the subtropical ridge. A slow northward motion is anticipated for the next 36 hours or so. The hurricane is currently in a favorable environment for additional strengthening with warm waters and relatively weak shear.

RS