La Niña Strengthening

La Niña Conditions Continue to Strengthen Across the Equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Above map shows a 10-day average of sea-surface height and was acquired by the Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 satellite on September 6, 2010. Higher water surface areas signifying warmer temperatures are shades of red-brown, and areas of lower water surface (cooler) are blue. White areas are normal condition.  “The El Niño weakens the westward trade winds that normally blow over the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Those winds keep eastern Pacific waters cool and concentrate warm waters in the western Pacific. A weakening of trade winds enables warm waters to gradually spread eastward, heating up the central Pacific. La Niña typically follows El Niño, and causes essentially the opposite conditions. La Niña strengthens the trade winds, spreading cool water from the South American coast to the central Pacific. This see-saw pattern of El Niño and La Niña can drive large-scale weather changes, especially in the tropics.” Full caption here… Source: NASA E/O. Click image to enlarge. Download large image (1 MB, PNG).

Sea Surface Temperatures

50 KM Global Analysis – updated weekly.

Current Conditions

Source: NWS/CPC/NOAA

Current SST Anomalies

SST Anomalies During El Niño

Above image shows SST Anomalies during the 2009 El Niño episode, saved on July 27, 2009 and included for comparison.

Related Links:

• El Niño

Typhoon FANAPI Hits Taiwan

FANAPI Wreaks Havoc Across Taiwan

Typhoon FANAPI hit the island of Taiwan earlier today, forcing the closure of govt offices and schools, disrupting train services and flights, as the authorities evacuated up to 10,000 people in mountainous areas.

Typhoon FANAPI struck Taiwan on its way to China. Image source: CIMSS. Click image to enlarge.

FANAPI was a category 3 hurricane as it made landfall in Taiwan, delivering heavy precipitation and strong winds.  The hurricane is expected to regain strength and strike South East China as a category 3B – 3C hurricane later on today or early tomorrow local time.

FANAPI was expected to cause substantial damage along its path over Taiwan.

When typhoon MORAKOT  struck Taiwan last year, it killed about 1,000 people and left thousands more homeless.

Related Links:

• Hurricane Watch – September 17
• THE STORM QUATRO
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

• IGOR POWERS ON OVER ATLANTIC
• IGOR and JULIA: A Double Act in Atlantic
• IGOR TURNS DEADLY OVER ATLANTIC
• Storm Extravaganza
• The Storm Trio

Satellite Imagery (GOES 12 Floater/NOAA/SSD)

• Central Atlantic – Infrared
• Central Atlantic – IR (Aviation Color Enhancement)
• Central Atlantic – Water Vapor
• Central Atlantic – Visible
• Central Atlantic – Visible (Colorized)

Loops/ Satellite Animations

• Tropical Atlantic – Visible Loop
• Central Atlantic – Visible Loop

Additional Satellite Images:

• Atlantic and Caribbean Tropical Satellite Imagery
• Satellite Imagery (FEWW Satellite Links Page)