Hurricane Florence: NASA Model Shows Size and Intensity of Storm
"Florence is expected to remain a hurricane and likely reintensify over the weekend."
by Hannah Margaret AllenHurricane Florence has simmered in the Atlantic Ocean from a Category 3 to a Category 2 stdays, and while it continues to weaken, data from NASA and NOAA suggests the storm could still be a heavy-hitter.
“Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 105 mph with higher gusts,” reads an advisory from the National Hurricane Center issued at 11 a.m. Eastern on Thursday. “Additional weakening is forecast during the next day or two. However, Florence is expected to remain a hurricane and likely reintensify over the weekend.”
On Wednesday, the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core observatory satellite, an international mission between NASA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), captured 3-D images of Florence that reveal heavy precipitation to the north of the eye of the storm.
Florence is about 1,030 miles east-northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands and 1,115 miles east-southeast of Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center reported Thursday. And as long as it keeps spinning toward the East Coast of the United States, experts will keep a close eye on this hurricane.
Artist's concept of the Global Precipitation Measurement spacecraft.
The GPM satellite, with radar sensitivity and microwave imaging, can forecast precipitation in areas where it’s difficult to measure — like the middle of a hurricane in the middle of an ocean. Scientists look to these models to help predict consequences in extreme weather events, which is tied to world health, freshwater availability, agriculture, transportation, and climate change.
Florence is about 1,030 miles east-northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands and 1,115 miles east-southeast of Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center reported Thursday. And as long as it keeps spinning toward the East Coast of the United States, experts will keep a close eye on this hurricane.
Meteorologist Ryan Maue predicts landfall of Hurricane Florence could be on September 12, but says may scenarios show the storm curving away from the Mid-Atlantic region.
The GPM satellite was recently used to analyze Typhoon Jebi, which was making its way toward Japan. Positioned above the storm, it could determine that tropical threat included a feeder band of thunderstorms south of the main storm and that the storms were some eight miles tall, NASA reported.
