Imagem:Hurricanes Gordon Helene 2006.jpg

The 2006 Atlantic Hurricane season had a slow start, with very few named storms in the first months of the season. But in early September, the previously hurricane-less season threw out four hurricanes in a row. The first two hurricanes were both short-lived relative weak Category One hurricanes, Ernesto and Florence. But the season shifted into high gear as Florence was spinning down in the North Atlantic in mid-September. Hurricanes Gordon and Helene formed in quick succession, both reaching Category Three strength a few days from each other. However, only Ernesto amongst these four hurricanes made landfall; a persistent ridgeline of high pressure over the U.S. east coast steered storms away into the North Atlantic. Florence was kept away from the coast by the high pressure ridge away, instead bringing it close to Bermuda, while Gordon missed the island but brought storm surge and surf to Bermuda’s beaches. As of September 17, Helene also was predicted to head towards Bermuda.

This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on September 16, 2006, at 12:55 p.m. local time (16:55 UTC). Gordon is a very large and well-defined hurricane in this image, possessing a distinct tightly wound central portion, strong and complete eyewall around the eye of the storm, and a well-defined eye. South and east of the more mature Hurricane Gordon lies the larger, more sprawling, and younger Hurricane Helene. Both are Category Three strength at this time, but Helene was still in the process of coalescing having reached Category Three status only hours before, while Gordon was a well-formed storm which had been at Category Three stage for two days. This duet thus catches a glimpse of how storm appearances change as a hurricane matures.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13872

2006-09-16

NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center.