Tropical Cyclone EVAN
Posted by hanna on 12/18/2012, 3:40 pm
| Tropical Storm Evan (South Pacific Ocean) NASA Sees Powerful Cyclone Evan Move Past Fiji Northern and western Fiji is under a state of emergency after Cyclone Evan ravaged the island nation. NASA's Aqua satellite captured a view of Evan as it was leaving Fiji and heading south in the South Pacific Ocean. Evan was a category 4 cyclone (hurricane) when it hit Fiji's main island of Viti Levu. Evan's maximum sustained winds at the time of landfall were near 135 mph (217 kph). What Does the Satellite Imagery Show? NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Tropical Cyclone Evan at 2240 UTC on Dec. 17 (5:40 p.m. EST/U.S.) after it had passed the Fiji Islands and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectoradiometer or MODIS instrument captured a visible image of Evan's clouds. The image was created by the NASA MODIS Rapid Response Team located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Satellite imagery reveals that Evan is starting to elongate, which is a sign of weakening. An analysis of the upper level atmosphere shows that strong westerly wind shear is now battering the upper levels of Evan, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. That wind shear is causing the storm to elongate. Weather Bulletins Active from Fiji on Dec. 18 The Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) issued a Special Weather Bulletin on Dec. 18 at 3:44 p.m. local time with a strong wind warning in effect for Kadavu. The FMS bulletin says "Strong west to northwest winds with average speeds of 45 to 55 km/hr and momentary gusts to 65 km/hr. Occasional rain, heavy at times with squally thunderstorms. Rain easing tomorrow." The FMS noted that the rest of Fiji will experience occasional rain and west to northwesterly winds, gusty at times. Rains will ease on Wed., Dec. 19. FMS cautions that flooding is possible in low-lying areas especially over eastern Viti Levu. For more warnings and watches, visit the FMS site: http://www.met.gov.fj/current_warnings.php. What are Evan's Current Conditions? On Dec. 18 at 0900 UTC (4 a.m. EST/U.S.), Evan's maximum sustained winds were near 95 knots (109.3 mph/175.9 kph). Evan's cyclone (hurricane) force winds extend up to 45 nautical miles (51.7 miles/83.3 km)from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds reach as far out as 145 nautical miles (166.9 miles/268.5 km) from the center. That means that Evan is about 300 nautical miles (345.2 miles/555.6 km) wide. As Evan weakens the wind field is expected to grow, and the storm is expected to cover a larger area. Evan's center had passed Fiji and continues moving south at 7 knots (8 mph/13 kph). Evan's center was about 115 nautical miles (132.3 miles/213 km) south of Nadi, Fiji near 21.0 south latitude and 177.1 east longitude. Evan was still generating very rough seas with wave heights to 35 feet (10.6 meters), so mariners should take note. Post-Cyclone Evan Conditions in Fiji According to the Sydney (Australia) Telegraph, resident of Fiji have begun cleaning up after Cyclone Evan passed leaving power outages, downed trees, flooding, and damage to many structures. About 8,500 residents remained in shelters across the island on Dec. 17. The government declared a state of natural disaster for the north and western parts of Fiji. Euronews reported the airport was closed and 2,000 tourists were stranded. Evan is moving south and is weakening under unfavorable atmospheric conditions and cooler ocean temperature. The sea surface temperatures around Evan are near 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that those temperatures will drop sharply as the system passes 25 degrees south latitude. Tropical cyclones need a sea surface temperature as warm as 26.6C (80F) to maintain strength, and anything colder saps the storm's strength quickly. Evan is expected to become extra-tropical before it approaches North Island of New Zealand. Text Credit: Rob Gutro NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2012/h2012_Evan.html Trail of Destruction After Cyclone Evan Hits Fiji Dec. 18, 2012 -- Tropical Cyclone Evan left a swathe of destruction across Fiji Tuesday after battering the Pacific nation for more than 12 hours, destroying homes, flooding rivers and stranding thousands of tourists. Despite the damage, officials reported no fatalities as the storm headed out to sea early Tuesday and was downgraded a notch to category three. Western parts of the main island Viti Levu bore the brunt of the cyclone's fury overnight, with the Fiji Times describing the township of Lautoka as a "war zone". Witnesses said entire houses were blown away by the ferocious winds, leaving stunned residents to clean up debris from empty lots after they returned from evacuation centers. "The destruction this cyclone has caused is beyond words. Not one house has been spared here," Lautoka resident Melaia Waisele told AFP. The information ministry said bridges were submerged by swollen rivers, high winds toppled power lines and roads were closed by landslides and debris. Almost 8,500 locals sheltered from the cyclone in evacuation centers, while thousands of international tourists, almost 3,000 of them relocated from outlying islands for their own safety, rode out the storm in Viti Levu's resorts. Fairfax New Zealand journalist Marc Hinton, who was on vacation in Fiji when the cyclone hit, said hurricane force winds lashed his resort for more than 12 hours. "Everyone was hunkered down, the winds were so strong last night you couldn't even open your doors, it was over 200 kilometers per hour (125 mph)," he told the Dominion Post newspaper. PHOTOS: Top 10 Worst Weather Disasters However, fears that Cyclone Evan would rival the deadly force of Cyclone Kina, which killed 23 people when it swept through Fiji in 1993, proved unfounded, largely due to extensive planning as the storm advanced. The government said there were only 10 reports of minor injuries and people had heeded warnings to evacuate early. Neighbouring Samoa had no advance notice when Evan pummelled it late last week and officials there said Tuesday the official death toll had risen to five, with up to 10 people still missing. The missing were aboard four fishing boats that failed to return to port last Friday and a New Zealand-led aerial search was called off Tuesday after finding no sign of the men. "We are confident that the area has been thoroughly covered in difficult circumstances," Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand spokesman Neville Blakemore said. "This is obviously a tragic outcome for the families of the men involved and our thoughts are with them." Samoa's Disaster Management Office (DMO) said almost 5,000 people were still in evacuation centres and power remained off in much of the country. DMO spokeswoman Filomena Nelson said the damage caused by the storm, estimated by the government to cost $130 million, was more extensive than when a tsunami hit the country in 2009, killing 143 people. "While the cost in lives has been less, the destruction is greater than the tsunami because it's affected a far larger area," she said. --by AFP http://news.discovery.com/earth/hurricanes-tornadoes-storm-tracker-stormchasers-110830.html   |
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