NASA MODIS Image of the Day: October 26, 2011 – Hurricane Rina (18L) off Mexico
A rapidly strengthening Hurricane Rina was approaching Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on October 24, 2011 at 12:15 p.
m.
EDT (16:15 UTC) when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image. Rina’s southwestern edge was over Honduras at this time. The strongest thunderstorms around the center are casting shadows on the surrounding lower clouds. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued an advisory on the storm at 11:00 a.m. EDT on October 24, just over an hour before this image was captured. At that time, the maximum sustained wind speed was below hurricane strength at 45 mph (75 km/h). By 2:00 p.m. EDT, less than 2 hours after this image was captured, Rina had quickly strengthened to a Category 1 Hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). At that time, Rina was located about 195 miles (310 km) southwest of Grand Cayman and about 360 mi (580 km) east southeast of Chetumal, Mexico. It was moving northwestward at 5 miles per hour (7 km/h). Because the storm was moving over very warm waters, additional strengthening was expected. By 11:00 p.m. EDT on October 25, the NHC reported that Rina’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 110 mph (175 km/h), making it a strong Category Two Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. It was expected to strengthen to a major hurricane at any time. Although still crawling along at 3 mph (6 km/h), the storm was expected to make a general turn to the northwest and north on October 26, along with a slight increase in forward speed. The center of Rina was expected to make landfall near or over the east coast of Yucatan on October 26 or 27. Tropical storm conditions are expected to reach the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, the coast of Belize and the Honduran Bay islands of Roatan and Guanaja beginning on October 26, with hurricane conditions present by October 27. Hurricane Rina will bring heavy rainfall, from 8-16 inches, over the next three days. A dangerous storm surge, accompanied by large and destructive waves, are predicted for the coast.
