NASA's GPM Satellite Spots Thunderstorm In Tropical Storm Earl

Tropical storm Earl may become stronger, according per NASA's GPM satellite.

Moving through the Caribbean Sea, the GPM satellite saw "towering thunderstorms" within the tropical storm, indicating that its power may be amplified, eScience News has learned. As per the publication, The National Hurricane Center (NHC) assumes that the storm is set to be a hurricane before it lands on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico tomorrow afternoon.

On Aug. 2 at 11:56 p.m. EDT, the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, also known as the GPM core observatory satellite, passed over the growing Earl in the Caribbean Sea on the northeastern part of Honduras. It is further revealed that satellite's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) detected heavy storms around the storm's eye, with water falling at 251 mm or 9.8 inches per hour.

According to NASA's official website, it was on Aug. 4 1:00 a.m. EDT when Earl's highest sustained winds rose to about 80 mph (130 kph), making it a hurricane, as per an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft. After an hour, the hurricane hit the southwestern part of Belize City, Belize.

On Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. EDT, Earl was 115 miles (185 km) western Belize City. Returning into a tropical storm, Belize's Government stopped the coastal warnings, as well as coastal watchers. Earl was also heading west at 12 mph (19 kph); as per the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the storms movement is assumed to be the same in the following days.

In a statement, as cited by the publication, weather forecaster Lixion Avila mentioned that Earl was already well inland over northern Guatemala, adding that the convection was decreasing fast despite satallite images showing strong motions. Furthermore, it is assumed that Earl will reduce into a tropical depression tonight and become weaker in the following days.

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