Hurricane Vance Weakening, Heading Toward Mexico
The TRMM satellite flew over hurricane Vance on November 2014 at 0953 UTC. Rainfall derived from TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) data collected with that view are shown overlaid on a 1000 UTC GOES-WEST image. This analysis showed that Vance had a large area of heavy rainfall near the center of the hurricane. Some intense storms in that area were dropping rain at a rate of over 50mm/hr (almost 2 inches) per hour. Vance's power peaked late on November 3, 2014 with winds of about 95 kts (about 109 mph). Vertical wind shear had started to weaken the hurricane at the time of this view but Vance was still a powerful category two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained wind speeds of about 90 kts (about 104 mph). Hurricane Vance is predicted by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to continue weakening and make landfall in Mexico tomorrow.
GPM, the successor to the TRMM satellite, recently had two excellent views of hurricane Vance on November 3, 2014 at 0031 UTC and on November 4, 2014 at 1101 UTC. GPM's Radar (Ku band), that is similar to that used on the TRMM's satellite, was used to show vertical structure of precipitation at both times. In the first view hurricane Vance was at close to peak power with a well defined eye. Today the weakening hurricane had a closing eye with much lower thunderstorm tops.