Tropical Storm Conson and the conditions within the storm as it changes in strength on its track through the South China Sea. NASA’s Infrared imagery revealed some strong convection in the storm as it takes a more westerly route toward another landfall.

Tropical Storm Conson on July 14 at 1747 UTC (1:47 p.m. EDT), the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured a look at the storm’s cloud-top temperatures. Cloud top temperatures tell scientists how high thunderstorms are and that translates into strength because the higher and colder the cloud tops, the stronger the thunderstorms, and typically more rain falls from them.

Tropical Storm Conson’s thunderstorm cloud-top temperatures revealed 2 large areas of strong convection and icy cold (high, strong thunderstorms) cloud tops that were colder than -63 Fahrenheit. That means there was a lot of energy in Tropical Storm Conson yesterday when the Aqua satellite passed overhead. Animated infrared satellite imagery today, July 15, showed tightly wrapped convective banding around the storm’s center indicating its maintaining intensity.

On July 15 at 0600 UTC (4 a.m. EDT), Tropical Storm Conson’s maximum sustained winds were near 50 knots (57 mph). Conson was located about 290 nautical miles east-southeast of Hainan Island near 16.6 North and 113.3 East. It was moving west near 12 knots (13 mph).

Tropical Storm Conson is in an area of strong northeasterly vertical wind shear, blowing at a speed greater than 30 knots (34 mph). Despite the strong wind shear, the storm is maintaining intensity. However, that wind shear is pushing the strongest convection southwest of Conson’s center.

Typhoon Warning Center are forecasting Conson to keep tracking westward and cross Hainan Island in the next 24-36 hours (mid-day Eastern Time on Friday, July 16). Thereafter, Conson is expected to make landfall in northern Vietnam and dissipate over the weekend.

Tropical Storm Conson is departing the Philippines and is almost entirely in the South China Sea.

At 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EDT/10 p.m. local Asia/Manila time) on July 14, Tropical Storm Conson was located about 225 nautical miles west-northwest of Manila, the Philippines. That places Conson’s center near 16.3 North and 116.9 East. Conson had maximum sustained winds near 50 knots (57 mph) and was moving west-northwest near 12 knots (14 mph). Conson is generating maximum wave heights of 15 feet in the South China Sea.

Tropical Storm Conson in the South China Sea on July 13 at 540 UTC (1:40 a.m. EDT/1:40 p.m. local Asia/Manila time). Conson is being battered by strong vertical wind shear at about 30 knots (34 mph) and the visible imagery shows that Conson no longer has the tropical cyclone signature rounded shape. For a time, Conson’s center was fully exposed to winds but it has re-developed. Most of the strongest convection (rapidly rising air that forms thunderstorms) remained south of the partially exposed low-level center.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts that Conson “should make landfall near Zhanjiang, China near 16/18z (July 16 at 1800 Zulu Time, or 2 p.m. EDT). Conson is expected to maintain intensity over the next day and then begin weakening before it makes landfall.

A trough is an elongated area of low pressure and that’s what the remnants of the once major hurricane known as Darby are becoming today. On June 28 at 6:55 p.m. EDT NASA and the Japanese Space Agency’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured isolated areas of rainfall off the western Mexico coast from Darby’s remnants.

The center of Darby the remnant low pressure area is located near 15 North and 97.5 West. Those remnants are still showing some scattered moderate to strong convection (rapidly rising air that creates clouds and thunderstorms) southwest of its center. Isolated strong convection likely associated with a nearby tropical wave is also being seen over the Gulf of Tehauntepec and within 60 nautical miles of the Mexican coast between 98 West and 101 West.

Darby’s remnants still have southwest to westerly winds between 20 and 25 knots (23-28 mph). The National Hurricane Center noted that “Darby should weaken to an open trough later today then extend northwest to Caribbean Tropical Storm Alex. The trough will move northwest in tandem with Alex over the next few days.”

Celia has exploded into a monster hurricane in the Eastern Pacific, and is now a Category 5 storm over open waters. NASA’s Aqua satellite captured an infrared image (that shows temperature) of Celia’s clouds and clearly shows an eye in the storm. Celia’s eye appears well-defined and is between 15-20 nautical miles wide.

Warm sea surface temperatures are also critical for a tropical cyclone’s development, and AIRS infrared imagery is able to read those temperatures from space, too. AIRS imagery taken on Friday, July 25 at 9:05 UTC (5:05 a.m. EDT) showed that the sea surface temperatures around Celia were over the 80 degree Fahrenheit threshold needed to continue powering tropical cyclones. As Celia continues to move west-northwestward, however, those waters will become cooler and they are expected to weaken Celia.

At 5 a.m. EDT (2 a.m. PDT) on Friday, June 25, powerful Category Five Hurricane Celia was packing maximum sustained winds near 160 mph (260 km/hr). Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 50 miles (85 km) from the center…and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km). Celia’s center was located about 805 nautical miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, near 13.4 North and 117.0 West. Celia’s minimum central pressure is 926 millibars, and she is moving west-northwest near 13 mph (20 km/hr).

Tropically speaking Celia is in the Major Leagues. She’s now a Category Three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale and classified as the Eastern Pacific’s first major hurricane. That’s quite a “batting average” for also being that season’s first hurricane. The other storms that formed before her in the Eastern Pacific didn’t make it to hurricane status.

Both Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, GOES-11 (west) and GOES-13 (east) captured visible images of Hurricane Celia and Tropical Storm Darby in the Eastern Pacific on June 23, and Celia’s eye was visible in them.

At 8 a.m. PDT (11 a.m. EDT) on June 24, Hurricane Celia’s maximum sustained winds were near 115 mph (185 km/hr) with higher gusts. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 115 miles (185 km).

She was located in the open waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean near latitude 12.5 north and longitude 113.9 west. Minimum central pressure is 962 millibars. Celia is moving toward the west near 13 mph (20 km/hr) and a turn toward the west-northwest is expected over the next couple of days. Some additional strengthening is possible later today, followed by gradual weakening on Friday.

Celia’s eye has appeared to be “blinking” over the last couple of days because it has been visible in some satellite imagery, then not visible. This morning, June 24, satellite imagery sees the open eye again.