4 July 2014

True Colour View of Arthur from NASA (Doppler sees winds at 100 MPH)

Posted by Dan Satterfield

Click the image for a much bigger version. This was taken by the polar orbiting Aqua Satellite with a sensor that can give 1km resolution true colour images.

Click the image for a MUCH bigger version. This was taken July 3 by the polar orbiting Aqua Satellite (with a sensor that can give 1km resolution true colour images).

From the Facebook page of Frying Pan Shoals.

From the Facebook page of Frying Pan Shoals.

Frying Pan Shoals off the North Carolina coast caught a gust to 99 mph on their weather station. They were in the eye-wall of Hurricane Arthur at the time. Here on the Delmarva Peninsula there is a real risk of extreme rip currents behind the storm. With thousands of folks streaming to the Maryland and Delaware beaches for the holiday weekend, this is a serious threat.

Something to think about: The water levels from Arthur will be about 6 inches higher than from the exact same storm 50 years ago. The sea level on this part of the U.S. coastline has risen more rapidly than almost anywhere else in America. Impacts from climate change are most likely to be felt during stormy weather, and it can happen so slowly that you do not realize that the damage from a category one hurricane has increased.

At 830 PM EDT (0030GMT 4 July) the Nexrad Doppler at Morehead City is seeing 100 mph winds in Arthur. The radar beam is at several thousand feet over the storm, so the surface winds are not likely as strong, but it is possible that Arthur is near Cat 2 status.

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