CIMSS Satellite Blog

Metop-A Scatterometer winds at 1430 UTC and GOES-13 10.7 µm Brightness Temperature (Click to enlarge)

A late-season tropical depression has formed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea. The morning Metop-A pass on 21 November 2016 allowed ASCAT scatterometer winds to be sampled over the system: rain-flagged values near tropical storm force were present as shown above. A similar image (from this site) is available here, and also here (from this site).

GOES-13 Infrared (10.7 µm) Brightness Temperatures (Click to animate)

Infrared (10.7 µm) imagery from GOES-13, above, from 1315 through 1715 UTC on 21 November, shows periodic deep convection over the Depression; the grey regions in the deepest convection over the system correspond to brightness temperatures colder than -75 C. The environment surrounding this system, shown below, is marginally favorable for strengthening; sea-surface temperatures are warm, although the oceanic heat content suggests the warmth does not extend through a deep column of water. Wind shear over the storm is modest (but far stronger north of the storm). (Imagery below is from this site). The system is forecast to become a tropical storm within the next 24 hours.

Sea-surface temperatures, Oceanic Heat Content and Wind Shear (Click to enlarge)

Update: Otto was named a tropical storm at 2100 UTC 21 November; GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) Imagery is shown below.

GOES-13 Visible (0.63 µm) Imagery on 21 November 2016 (Click to animate)

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water fields, below, show that Otto emerged from a region of persistent deep moisture over the southwestern Caribbean Sea that has been contracting as the storm formed.

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water fields at 2100 UTC on 17,18,19,20 and 21 November (Click to enlarge)

DMSP-16 Microwave (85 GHz) imagery, below, showed evidence of a closed eye associated with Otto at 2132 UTC.

DMSP-16 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) image [click to enlarge]

See the National Hurricane Center website for the latest information on this storm.

from CIMSS Satellite Blog http://ift.tt/2fVzsx6