NASA is looking at an interesting weather system in the North Atlantic

NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center

A non-tropical low-pressure system that has the potential to develop subtropical characteristics has formed in the northern hemisphere tropics. During the week of April 4th, Tropical Storm Pali developed in the North Central Pacific Ocean. On April 10th, an area of low pressure developed in the North Atlantic Ocean, far east of Bermuda, and NASA's Aqua satellite captured a glimpse of the system in infrared light.

On April 10th at 13:50 EST, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) took note of the development of the extratropical low-pressure area. The system was about 900 miles east of Bermuda and was producing a large area of hurricane-force winds and maximum winds of hurricane strength.

On April 11th at 0435 UTC (April 10th at 23:35 EST), the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared data on the system. AIRS provides valuable temperature data such as cloud top and sea surface temperatures. AIRS showed strong storms with colder cloud top temperatures near minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius) east of the circulation center.

At 1200 UTC (7 am EST) on April 11th, the National Weather Service's (NWS) Offshore High Seas Forecast (HSF) declared a Gale Warning in the low-pressure system area. At that time, the low-pressure area was centered just north of 31.5 degrees north latitude and 44 degrees west longitude, about 900 miles southwest of the Azores. The central minimum pressure was near 985 millibars. The NWS HSF said that a cold front associated with the system extends from 31 degrees north latitude and 39 degrees west longitude to 25 degrees north latitude and 40 degrees west longitude to 19 degrees north latitude and 50 degrees west longitude to 19 degrees north latitude and 57 degrees west longitude. The clouds along that front are visible in the AIRS infrared image and appear as a long tail extending from the east of the low to the south of the low-pressure center.

On April 11th at 1400 UTC (14:00 EST), the National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted that the non-tropical low was producing a large area of hurricane-force winds with maximum winds near 60 mph. Shower activity was limited near the center, but the NHC noted that the low could gradually acquire some tropical or subtropical characteristics over the next couple of days as it moves southeastward and then eastward over the eastern subtropical Atlantic. The NHC said that over the next 5 days, this system has a 40 percent chance of becoming a depression.

The NHC said, "Regardless of tropical or subtropical cyclone formation, hazardous marine conditions are expected to persist over portions of the central and eastern Atlantic for the next few days."

Additional authors of this study are Mary V. Carroll, RN, BSN, from the Squirrel Hill Health Center in Pittsburgh; Patricia M. Weiss, MLIS, Ariel Shensa, MA, and Steven T. Farley, BS, all from Pitt; Alan L. Shihadeh, Sc.D., from the American University of Beirut; Michael J. Fine, MD, M.Sc., from VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System; and Thomas Eissenberg, Ph.D., from Virginia Commonwealth University.

This research was funded by the National Cancer Institute grant R01-CA140150.

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