NASA MODIS Image of the Day: September 13, 2011 – Tropical Storm Maria (14L) off the Leeward Islands
Tropical Storm Maria was a weakening and asymmetrical storm on September 11, 2011 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image as it passed over the region.
In this image, the storm appears disorganized, with a clouded eye swirling east of Puerto Rico and north of the Leeward Islands, while the bulk of the clouds lie to the north and the east of center.
Puerto Rico appears as a green island covered with a few rain bands. The Leeward Islands, hidden under clouds, are outlined in black. At the time this image was captured, wind shear was pushing the heaviest rains and strongest winds away from the center of circulation of Tropical Storm Maria. The strongest convection (rapidly rising air that forms thunderstorms which power a tropical cyclone) is found to the east of the center, and this is where the highest, towering clouds can be seen. The highest clouds actually cast shadows on clouds below them. At 5:00 p.m. AST, September 12, 2011, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Tropical Storm Maria was nearly stationary most of the day, but had just begun a slow north or northwestward motion, which is expected to continue over the next several days, steering it away from the eastern coast of the United States. The 1-minute sustained winds remain at 39 knots (45 mph) with gusts to 45 knots (50 mph). Because of the persistent effect of wind shear, the NHC intensity forecast calls for little significant change in the strength over the next 4-5 days. Maria is expected to become an extra-tropical depression by September 15, and to dissipate by September 16.
