NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Felix Fizzles Over Southwestern Mexico


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The National Hurricane Center reported that Felix was fizzling near the southwestern coast of Mexico on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007.

At 10:00 a.m. PDT, showers and thunderstorms associated with the remnants of Felix extended from the Gulf of Tehuantepec southward for a couple hundred miles. The leading edge of Felix's showers and thunderstorms had crossed into the eastern Pacific as seen in purple in this satellite image.

This infrared satellite image from September 6 was created by data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite. This AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops associated with the lingering showers and thunderstorms. The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red). This infrared image shows some scattered areas of strong convection (rising air and heavier rain) of the storm (in purple) off the coast of southwestern Mexico and in Central America.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center do not expect any tropical cyclone formation from Felix's remnants or elsewhere in the eastern Pacific in the next two days.

Rob Gutro (From NHC reports)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Image credit: NASA/JPL

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Powerful Hurricane Felix Crosses Caribbean Before Hitting Central America

As the climatological height of the Atlantic hurricane season draws near, the second Category 5 hurricane of the year has just made landfall. Almost two weeks to the day since Hurricane Dean, the first Category 5 storm of the season, made landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula, Hurricane Felix came ashore on the northwest coast of Nicaragua with sustained winds of 160 mph.


The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (or TRMM) satellite captured this unique series of images, which chronicle the development of Felix from an unnamed disturbance to a powerful hurricane. Launched back in November of 1997, TRMM is armed with an array of passive and active sensors designed to measure rainfall and its structure from space. It has proven itself to be an excellent platform for observing tropical cyclones. The first image was taken by TRMM at 06:10 UTC (2:10 am EDT) on the 28th of August 2007 and shows the horizontal pattern of rain associated with a tropical disturbance located midway between the coast of Africa and the Lesser Antilles. At this stage, there is no evidence of a circulation. The system does not yet show any signs of organization and is best described as a loose cluster of storms with mostly light to moderate rain (blue and green areas, respectively) associated with a tropical easterly wave propagating away from Africa. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM PR, and those in the outer swath come from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS).


The second image was taken two days later at 15:45 UTC (11:45 am EDT) on the 30th. Not unlike the first image, the disturbance still shows no signs of organization other than that the area of associated rain is somewhat more consolidated. It would be another full day before the disturbance developed a closed circulation, identifying it as a tropical depression (TD #6, the sixth tropical depression of the season). At this point, the system was already approaching the Windward Islands just 180 miles to its west. Over the next day, TD #6 continued to organize and gather strength. By midday on September 1st, it had become a tropical storm and was given the name Felix.


This next image shows Felix just after being named a tropical storm. It was taken at 15:30 UTC (11:30 am EDT) on 1 September. The organization is now clearly evident with rain bands spiraling around a central point (arcs of green and blue denoting moderate and light intensity rain, respectively). This central point is associated with an area of low pressure and marks the center of the storm's circulation. At the time of this image, sustained winds were reported at 55 knots (63 mph) by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) based on aircraft reports. At this stage, warm sea surface temperatures and low atmospheric wind shear made conditions ideal for continued development. As a result, Felix steadily intensified, becoming a hurricane later that same day. A deep-layer ridge to the north of the system continued to steer the system due west. This put Felix on track parallel to but south of that previously taken by Dean. Dean moved pretty much due west through the northern Caribbean, while Felix moved due west through the southern Caribbean.


By daybreak on the 2nd, Felix was up to Category 2 intensity with sustained winds of 85 knots (98 mph). Felix then underwent a period of rapid deepening and quickly intensified. By nightfall, Felix was a very powerful storm, a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 145 knots (167 mph). This next image from TRMM was taken at 15:13 UTC (11:13 am EDT) on the 3rd and shows Category 5 Felix as it was moving due west through the western Caribbean in the direction of Nicaragua. The storm is very compact and tightly wound with good banding and sharply curving rain bands. However, the storm is a little asymmetric as evidenced by the larger amount of heavy (dark red areas) to moderate rain being north and east of the center. In fact, Felix underwent a period of weakening after this image was taken.


The final image was taken at 06:04 UTC (2:04 am EDT) on the 4th and shows Felix bearing down on the coast of Nicaragua. Felix had regained its Category 5 status and winds were back up to 135 knots (155 mph). The eye is very small, and the center is well-defined. Intense rain occupies the western eye wall (dark red arc), and tightly-curved concentric rain bands surround the center, indicating a very intense circulation. Felix is a small storm. As such, it is can change intensity fairly quickly in response to environmental conditions. The storm is expected to quickly weaken over land. The last great hurricane to impact the region was Hurricane Mitch back in 1998. Mitch killed over 11,000 people in Central America with thousands more missing mostly as a result of massive flooding.

TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and captioned by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).

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Hurricane Felix Moving Over Nicaragua, Now a 'Cat' 2


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Felix the Cat is a cartoon character, but unlike the cartoon, Felix the "Cat 2" or "Category 2" hurricane isn't being taken lightly. Felix is bringing life-threatening conditions to Nicaragua and Honduras.

This satellite image from NASA's QuikSCAT satellite was taken on September 4 at 11:14 UTC (7:14 a.m. EDT) and depicts the wind speeds in Hurricane Felix. The center of Felix is indicated by the purple color, and is half over land. This image was created when Felix was making landfall. This image depicts wind speed in color and wind direction with small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. The highest wind speeds, around the eye, are shown in purple.

At 2:00 p.m. EDT on Sept. 4, the center of Hurricane Felix was located inland near latitude 14.2 north...longitude 84.5 west or about 75 miles (125 km) west of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua.

Felix is moving toward the west near 14 mph (22 km/hr) and this motion is expected to continue with some decrease in forward speed during the next 24 hours. On this track the center will continue moving over northeastern Nicaragua for the next few hours and over Honduras later today and tonight. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 100 mph (155 km/hr) with higher gusts. Felix is a category two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Rapid weakening is forecast as the cyclone moves over the mountainous terrain of Central America today and tonight. Estimated minimum central pressure is 962 millibars.

Felix is expected to produce 8 to 12 inches of rain across northern Nicaragua and El Salvador with 10 to 15 inches over much of Honduras. Isolated maximum amount of 25 inches are possible in mountainous areas. These rains will likely produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. Forecast credit: Rob Gutro
Goddard Space Flight Center; Image credit: NASA/JPL

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Category 5 Hurricane Felix Makes Landfall


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The second Category 5 hurricane of the Atlantic Season made landfall early Tuesday morning, September 4, 2007 near the Nicaragua-Honduras border.

Hurricane Felix strengthened into a Category Five storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, in the early morning hours before hitting the area that thousands of Miskito Indians reside. The area of landfall is rural, and the Miskitos live in wooden shacks.

NASA Eyes Rainfall in Felix

The image was taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (or TRMM) satellite at 6:04 UTC (2:04 a.m. EDT) on September 4, 2007 and shows the horizontal pattern of rain intensity within Felix. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, and those in the outer swath come from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. The deep red in this image near the center of the storm indicate rain fall is greater than 55 millimeters per hour (2.16 inches/hour). The eye of Felix is also visible in this TRMM image around the area of heaviest rainfall.

The National Hurricane Center noted that Felix is expected to produce 5 to 10 inches of rain across northern Nicaragua and much of Honduras with possible isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches. These rains will likely produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

Felix Making Landfall

At 8:00 a.m. EDT the eye of Hurricane Felix was located on the coast near latitude 14.3 north and longitude 83.2 west or very near Punta Gorda, Nicaragua about 10 miles north-northeast of Puerto Cabezas. Felix is moving toward the west near 16 mph (26 km/hr). A continued westward motion with a gradual decrease in forward speed is expected during the next 24 hours. On this track...the center of Felix will be moving inland over northeastern Nicaragua today and over Honduras later today and tonight.

Earlier reports from a United States Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft and recent satellite images indicate that the maximum Sustained winds have increased to near 160 mph (260 km/hr) with higher gusts. Felix is a potentially catastrophic category Five Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The hurricane will weaken as it moves inland over Nicaragua and Honduras today. The estimated minimum central pressure is 935 millibars.

Felix is a small and compact storm. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 115 miles (185 km).

Storm surge flooding in excess of 18 feet above normal tide levels along with large and dangerous battering waves are possible to the north of where the center is making landfall.

Felix has been following the same trek that Hurricane Mitch took in 1998. The name "Mitch" was retired from the list of hurricane names, because it killed almost 11,000 people and left 8,000 missing, mostly in Honduras and Nicaragua.

For more information about how TRMM looks at rainfall, visit NASA's TRMM website: http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

Rob Gutro
Goddard Space Flight Center
Image credit: Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC)

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Early Images of Felix


NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of Felix approaching Central America on Sept. 3, 2007.

Related link:

+ Higher resolution MODIS image of Felix

Image credit: MODIS Rapid Response


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This QuikSCAT image captured Hurricane Felix' winds on Sept. 2 at 10:24 UTC (3:24 a.m. PDT) as it approached Central America.

Image credit: NASA/JPL