Tropical storm Man-yi - double vortices

NASA satellite sees 2 vortices circling newborn Tropical Storm Man-yi's center

Physics,

13 September 2013

NASA's Terra satellite passed over newborn Tropical Storm Man-yi and captured and image that clearly showed two vortices rotating around a large center of circulation. Man-yi formed on Sept. 12 in the northwestern Pacific Ocean as the sixteenth tropical depression and by Sept. 13 it strengthened into a tropical storm

When NASA's Terra satellite passed over newborn Tropical Storm Man-yi in the northwestern Pacific Ocean on Sept. 13 at 01:15 UTC, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument captured a visible image of the storm. The MODIS image showed the bulk of clouds and showers on the northwestern and southeastern sides of the storm, but those were associated with the two different vortices or whirling masses of clouds and showers, that are rotating around the storm's actual center. Satellite data showed bands of strong thunderstorms around the southeastern vortex, which is the vortex with the strongest winds. Thunderstorms associated with the northwestern vortex are also strengthening as convection deepens.

Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect these two different vortices will combine with the larger, broad central circulation, allowing Man-yi to consolidate.

On Sept. 13 at 0900 UTC/5 a.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Man-yi had maximum sustained winds near 35 knots/40.2 mph/64.8 kph. It was moving to the west-northwest at 11 knots/12.6 mph/20.3 kph. Man-yi was centered near 22.5 north and 141.0 east, just 157 nautical miles/180.7 miles/290.8 km south of the island of Iwo To, Japan.

Man-yi is expected to intensify to typhoon strength as it curves from northwest to northeast. On the forecast track issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Man-yi is expected to approach Tokyo on Sept. 16 as a typhoon.

Hurricane moves toward Mexico

Ingrid has became the second hurricane of the Atlantic storm season, while Tropical Storm Manuel threatened to cause flash floods and mudslides on the opposite side of the country.

Stuff,

15 September 2013

On Saturday afternoon, Hurricane Ingrid was packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kph. The storm was centered about 315 km east of Tuxpan, Mexico.

The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said that if Ingrid stays on the forecast track, it's likely to reach the coast of Mexico on Monday.

The government of the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz began evacuating coastal residents Friday night, and local civil protection authorities said that more than 5300 people have been moved to safer ground. Of those, about 3500 people are being housed in official shelters with the rest staying with family and friends. There were no immediate reports of injuries blamed on the storm.

More than 1000 homes in Veracruz state have been affected by the storm to varying degrees, and 20 highways and 12 bridges have suffered damages, according to the state's civil protection authority.

A bridge collapsed near the northern Veracruz city of Misantla Friday, cutting off the area from the state capital. Thirteen people died when a landslide buried their homes in heavy rains spawned by Tropical Depression Fernand on Monday.

State officials imposed an orange alert, the highest possible, in parts of southern Veracruz.

Off Mexico's Pacific coast, Tropical Storm Manuel was moving with maximum sustained winds of 85 kph. It was 170 kilometers off the city of Lazaro Cardenas and 345 kilometers southeast of Manzanillo. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Acapulco to Manzanillo.

Manuel is expected to produce 10 to 15 inches of rain over parts of the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, and life-threatening flash floods and mudslides are likely.

Elsewhere, the remnants of Tropical Storm Humberto were swirling in the Atlantic, far from land. It was expected to regenerate in a couple of days, according to the Hurricane Center.