Cyclone hits as evaluation team visits Madagascar

For the second year in a row, Valentine's Day on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar has been marked by the arrival of a tropical cyclone. Cyclone Giovanna made landfall on the east coast shortly after midnight, bringing torrential rain and reported wind speeds of up to 231 km per hour.

One death has been reported so far in Brickaville where unconfirmed reports indicate severe damage to the local hospital and many people rendered homeless. In the capital, Antananarivo, power has been cut off and drivers ordered to stay off the roads.

Last year, Cyclone Bingiza also hit the island on February 14, and killed 14 people and destroyed nearly 6,000 homes over the course of five days. Schools for over 7,000 children were damaged.

The imminent arrival of Cyclone Giovanna injected an unusual dose of reality into the work of an evaluation team from the UK's York University which arrived on the island a week ago to assess the impact of UNICEF and the Ministry of Education's Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness and Response programme.

Yesterday, Dr. Sean Deely, Deputy Director of York University's Postwar Reconstruction and Development Unit (PRDU) was at a school in Analangirofo, close to where the cyclone was expected to make landfall and said: "It was amazing to see the kids preparing for the cyclone and the extent of their knowledge."

Before we lost mobile phone contact, Dr. Deely told UNISDR that the team had visited two schools in the lead-up to the arrival of Giovanna.

"We knew that there was a possibility of a tropical cyclone. Two storms have already passed through the Mozambique Channel since the beginning of the season.

"It's very interesting to see how the project has been implemented with a range of partners. They are training Ministry of Education staff at national and district level and they in turn train the teachers in the schools and the teachers then pass on the key messages to the kids on disaster risk reduction and preparedness measures for tropical storms, floods, tsunamis, forest fires and other hazards. The children go home and pass the messages on to their parents.


Read in detail at :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=23249

Preparing for the “Big One” in Nepal

The United States is helping reduce disaster risks in one of the earth’s most disaster-prone corners, increasing the Nepalese Government’s resilience and strengthening its capacity to respond to its citizens.
Related Content

National Society for Earthquake Technology
USAID disaster risk reduction programs in Asia and the Pacific
Perched atop the Himalayas, Nepal faces multiple natural hazards, including annual floods, landslides, and avalanches, as well as periodic droughts, forest fires and disease epidemics. However, for the 28 million people of Nepal, the risk of earthquakes is what looms largest, in particular, the proverbial “big one”—an earthquake impacting urban areas that would eclipse those of recent memory.
Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu, with an estimated population between 3 million and 5 million, has not experienced a major earthquake in more than 75 years, and there is concern among seismologists that the city could be struck by an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or greater—at least 10 times as powerful as the January 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti.
Similar to Haiti, Nepal is situated in a seismic zone that is capable of generating catastrophic earthquakes, and like Port-au-Prince, Kathmandu has experienced rapid urban development, including widespread construction of buildings considered too weak to withstand a powerful quake.
The importance of disaster risk reduction (DRR) programs is clearly evident in Nepal. These programs are used to prevent or decrease the impact of a disaster on a population, or to increase the ability of a community to withstand the disaster so it can recover more rapidly after the event. Since Nepal faces a number of hazards, an integrated U.S. Government approach to DRR, based on more than a decade of USAID engagement and now encompassing a “whole-of-government” effort, is being used to demonstrate best practices in disaster preparedness and mitigation.
There is consensus among international donor agencies that a concerted emphasis on disaster risk reduction is a necessary and cost-effective investment, empowering communities to reduce and mitigate disaster risk, increasing their resilience to disaster events and strengthening government capacity to respond.
The international community generally accepts that national governments themselves should play a key role in the design and support of DRR programs. Not only do they have a duty to ensure the safety of their citizens, but they also can help to implement the programs and create the necessary policies and frameworks to maintain them.
“Unless we act now,” said Margareta Wahlstrom, special representative of the U.N. secretary-general for disaster preparedness, “we will see more and more disasters due to unplanned urbanization and environmental degradation … Disaster risk reduction … is a strategic and technical tool for helping national and local governments to fulfill their responsibilities to citizens.”
DRR efforts can mean the difference between rains causing minor damage or mudslides and flooding that destroys lives and livelihoods.



Read in detail at :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=23121

Cyclone Thane: City was ill-prepared

Floods: City was ill-prepared

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The heavy downpour and the subsequent flash floods that submerged several parts of the city on Friday night have once again questioned the preparedness of the district administration.
�Though officials of various departments put in their best, the rescue operations at several places were affected by the lack of sufficient equipment.
�‘’The flash floods were an eye-opener for us. Several new places were affected by the floods. We should be better prepared to face a similar situation in future,’’ said District Collector K N Satheesh.
�‘’The Fire and Rescue Services Department should be given more efficient pumps, ropes, inflated boats and other necessary equipment,’’ he said. The Fire and Rescue brigade used inflated boats at several places to bring the people from flood-affected residential areas to safer locations.
�‘’The calamity assessment report to be submitted to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) will have suggestions to face such a situation in future,’’ he said.
�The Collector also said that the drainage system in the city needs to be improved. ‘’We will also hold a meeting with Corporation officials to chart out ways to improve he drainage system,’’ he said.
�SDMA officials said that they will prepare a detailed plan to manage similar situations in future. ‘’A meeting of top officials of the Authority will be held in a couple of days to discuss the Collector’s report and to chart out a detailed plan to carry out more efficient rescue operations in future,’’ SDMA secretary K B Valsalakumari said.
�‘’We will also identify the vulnerable areas,’’ she said.
Rescue Camps
A good majority of the 14 rescue camps opened by the district administration were closed on Sunday evening after people left for their homes.
At several locations, people used the camp for having food only. In some areas, the officials set up marquees near the submerged areas for the residents who desired to be close to their houses.� �


Read in detail at :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=23070

Cyclonic Storm THANE over southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal

Bulletin No. BOB 05/2011/17

Dated: 28.12. 2011 Time of issue:0730 hours IST

Sub : Cyclonic Storm THANE over southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal:-Cyclone alert for north Tamilnadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast : Yellow Message


The cyclonic storm THANE over southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal remained practically stationary and lay centered at 0530 hrs IST of today, the 28th December 2011 near latitude 12.50N and longitude 86.00E, about 600 km east-southeast of Chennai (Tamilnadu), 650 km northeast of Trincomalee (Srilanka) and 700 km west-northwest of Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar Island). The system is likely to move west-northwestwards slowly, intensify into a severe cyclonic storm during next 24 hrs and cross north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts between Cuddalore and Nellore around morning of 30th December 2011.





Based on latest analysis with NWP models and other conventional techniques, estimated track and intensity of the system are given in the Table below:
Date/Time(IST)
Position (lat. 0N/ long. 0E)
Sustained maximum surface wind speed (kmph)
Intensity
28-12-2011/0530
12.5/86.0
80-90 gusting to 100
Cyclonic Storm
28-12-2011/1130
12.7/85.5
85-95 gusting to 100
Severe Cyclonic Storm
28-12-2011/1730
12.9/85.0
90-100 gusting to 110
Severe Cyclonic Storm
28-12-2011/2330
13.1/84.5
95-105 gusting to 120
Severe Cyclonic Storm
29-12-2011/0530
13.3/84.0
100-110 gusting to 125
Severe Cyclonic Storm
29-12-2011/1730
13.3/83.0
100-110 gusting to 125
Severe Cyclonic Storm
30-12-2011/0530
13.3/81.5
95-105 gusting to 120
Severe Cyclonic Storm
30-12-2011/1730
13.2/79.5
80-90 gusting to 100
Cyclonic Storm
31-12-2011/0530
13.0/78.5
45-55 gusting to 65
Deep Depression

Under the influence of this system, rainfall at most places with isolated heavy rainfall is likely to commence over north Tamil Nadu & Puducherry and south coastal Andhra Pradesh from tomorrow the 29th December 2011 onwards.

Squally winds speed reaching 45-55 kmph likely to commence along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts from tomorrow morning the 29th December 2011 onwards.
Sea condition will be high to very high around the system centre. Sea condition will be rough to very rough along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts from tomorrow onwards.
Fishermen along north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & south Andhra Pradesh coasts are advised not to venture into sea. Those who are out at sea are advised to return to the coast.

Damage expected from tomorrow the 29th December 2011 onwards(over north coastal Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh): Extensive damage to thatched roof and huts. Minor damage to power and communication line due to uprooting of large avenue trees. Flooding of escape routes.

Action suggested (over north coastal Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh): Total suspension of fishing operations. Coastal hutment dwellers to be moved to safer place. People in affected areas to remain indoors.
The next bulletin will be issued at 1130 hrs IST of today the 28th December, 2011.


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Satellite images could aid long-term disaster recovery

Satellite images could aid long-term disaster recovery

James Dacey

30 March 2011 | EN | ES

Satellite image of Ban Nam Khem, Thailand, featured in one of the team's case studies on a tsunami in 2004

Geoeye/Digital Globe

[LONDON] Satellite images could be used to track and quantify long-term recovery efforts in regions stricken by natural disasters, say researchers who will be entering talks with potential users in Haiti, Pakistan and Thailand from April.

In the immediate aftermath of a natural catastrophe, such as the earthquake and tsunamithat hit Japan earlier this month (11 March), the priority is searching for survivors and saving lives through providing food, shelter and basic sanitation.

But longer term recovery — including the rebuilding of infrastructure and amenities such as schools and hospitals — can take decades, depending on the extent and the location of the disaster.

Now, a group based at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, working with industrial partners Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd. and ImageCat Inc., says it has developed the first systematic approach to monitoring and evaluating this process. The method, which has been submitted to Disastersjournal, involves tracking a region using high-resolution satellite images, which have become more abundant and affordable in recent years.

The researchers say that the required, one-metre resolution satellite imagescan be purchased for US$25 per square kilometre, and updated images can be acquired every 2–3 days.

"The last year — especially since the 2010 Haiti earthquake — has seen an increased interest in the use of high-resolution images as a damage assessment tool," Daniel Brown, a member of the Cambridge team, toldSciDev.Net.

A recovery monitoring system could improve coordination and decision-making, and warn if the reconstruction is not going according to plan, say the researchers.

"Analysing past recovery processes will also allow us to identify examples of good and bad practice and to provide 'lessons learned' to stakeholders that can hopefully be applied to future and ongoing responses," Brown said.

Their approach is to integrate satellite data into 13 'performance indicators' such as length of roads and distribution of housing. Data is then compared with on-the-ground reports collected from household surveys and interviews with recovery workers.

The method is based on two case studies, in Pakistan and Thailand, which are documented in the team's report, 'Disaster Recovery Indicators', aimed at policymakers and released last year.

In April, the researchers will begin a one-year project in which they hope to work more closely with the authorities in Haiti, Pakistan and Thailand. "We hope the system will be ready to deploy by the end of the [one-year] project," Brown told SciDev.Net.

They also hope to develop links with other nations and international organisations, and dispatch researchers to Japan.

Sarah Bailey, research officer at the UK-based Overseas Development Institute said: "Finding practical and systematic ways to link technology with reconstruction processes could play an important role in monitoring progress".

But she warned that the complexity of how and why communities and governments recover from disasters is difficult to capture through such indicators alone.

The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies

Disaster relief 2.0 report

This report analyzes how the humanitarian community and the emerging volunteer and technical communities worked together in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and recommends ways to improve coordination between these two groups in future emergencies.



Study Commissioned by OCHA, the United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Identifies New Opportunities for Collaboration in an Evolving Technology Landscape
DUBAI, U.A.E./WASHINGTON, D.C./NEW YORK (March 28, 2011) —
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation released today at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference a landmark publication examining how technology is reshaping the information landscape in which aid groups respond to sudden onset emergencies. The report, Disaster Relief 2.0: The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies, analyzes how the humanitarian community and the emerging volunteer and technical communities worked together in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and recommends ways to improve coordination between them in future emergencies.

“The challenge is to improve coordination between the structured humanitarian system and the relatively loosely organized volunteer and technical communities. This report illustrates a potential way forward,” said Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. “Without direct collaboration with humanitarian organisations, volunteer and technical communities run the risk of mapping needs without being able to make sure that these needs can be met,” she stressed.

Written by a team of researchers led by John Crowley at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, the report is based on interviews with more than 40 technology and humanitarian experts, many of whom responded to the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The report identifies best practice and lessons learned from the Haiti operation; makes recommendations to strengthen coordination between the humanitarian and technology communities; and proposes a draft framework for institutionalizing this collaboration.

Kathy Calvin, CEO of the UN Foundation, welcomed the report, saying: “Humanitarian crises from Libya to Japan remind us that fast and accurate information is imperative in effective emergency response efforts. Today’s increased access to collaborative technologies and networks presents an important innovation milestone and an opportunity to rethink how data about urgent humanitarian needs are gathered, processed and shared. We are pleased to partner with OCHA in making this research available to advance this discussion and decision-making about the future of humanitarian aid.”

# # #



 
Note to the Editors:

Fact sheets with further information about the report’s findings and recommendations are available at www.unfoundation.org/disaster-report. With this report as a springboard, people from both the humanitarian and volunteer and technical communities will discuss ideas in this report as part of the Disaster Relief 2.0 blog series on the UN Foundation’s blog, UN Dispatch, beginning on March 28. You can follow conversations about the report on Twitter using the hashtag #DisasterTech and on the UN Foundation’s Facebook page. Readers can submit questions to the report’s authors through those channels; a transcript with answers to select questions will be published on UN Dispatch on April 11, 2011.

About the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the arm of the UN Secretariat that is responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate for the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention; and facilitate sustainable solutions.

About the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) is a university-wide center involving multiple entities within the Harvard community that provide expertise in public health, medicine, social science, management, and other disciplines to promote evidence-based approaches to humanitarian assistance. The mission of the Initiative is to relieve human suffering in war and disaster by advancing the science and practice of humanitarian response worldwide. HHI fosters interdisciplinary collaboration in order to: 1.) improve the effectiveness of humanitarian strategies for relief, protection and prevention; 2.) instill human rights principles and practices in these strategies; and 3.) educate and train the next generation of humanitarian leaders.

About the UN Foundation & Vodafone Foundation Partnership
The Technology Partnership between the United Nations Foundation & Vodafone Foundation is a leading public-private alliance using technology programs to strengthen the UN’s humanitarian efforts worldwide. Created in October 2005 with a £10 million commitment from The Vodafone Foundation matched by £5 million from the UN Foundation, the Partnership has three core areas of focus: (1) to strengthen communications in humanitarian emergencies though capacity building and support for disaster response missions; (2) to support the development of mobile health (mHealth) programs that tackle critical public health challenges and improve public health systems, decision-making and, ultimately, patient outcomes; and (3) to promote research and innovation using technology as a tool for international development. The UN Foundation and The Vodafone Foundation are among the founding partners of the mHealth Alliance. More information about the Technology Partnership can be found at:www.unfoundation.org/vodafone.



 
About the Authors
John Crowley is the lead author of the Disaster Relief 2.0 report. Crowley is a humanitarian researcher and practitioner who convenes technologists and policymakers from multiple organizations to work on shared problems. He works with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and the Center for Technology and National Security Policy at the National Defense University. During the 2010 Haiti response, he supported a 'synergy operation' at the U.S. Southern Command, linking the command into the work being performed by the volunteer and technical communities, including OpenStreetMap, Ushahidi, Sahana, GeoCommons, Crisis Commons, Synergy Strike Force, and OpenSGI.

Jennifer Chan is a contributing author of the Disaster Relief 2.0 report. Chan is an Associate Faculty member at Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Her current work focuses on program evaluations of open source technology organizations such as Ushahidi, training emerging practitioners in humanitarian technologies and researching on the interface between humanitarian agencies and volunteer technical communities. She is a humanitarian practitioner, researcher and consultant who provides public health technical support to NGOs and UN Agencies. She recently served as deputy of operations for the HHI Love a Child Disaster Recovery Center field hospital in Haiti.

Press Contacts
In Washington, D.C.: Sarah Hiller, shiller@unfoundation.org, (+1) 202-887-9040
In Dubai: Jens Laerke, laerke@un.org, (+20) 19-555-8662

Provisional Population Totals for Census 2011

Provisional Population Totals for Census 2011

http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21617

Universalization of food security law may take a hit, shows survey

New Delhi: A pilot survey finding that 25-30% of the rural population can be automatically excluded from food security entitlements for below poverty line population might help forge a consensus between the government and the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council.
The “automatic exclusion” criteria, devised on the basis of the N C Saxena report on methodology for a BPL census, is more liberal than the “bare bones” approach adopted by the government in the past. It does not rely merely on calorific intake but adds social indicators to judge poverty.
A pilot project for the upcoming BPL survey shows that even after some correction, based on given parameters, the exclusion would be around 20-25% — the percentage of population that is doing well enough not to require targeted assistance envisaged under the National Food Security Act. This might rule out universalisation of the food security law.
Official sources said the finding will help streamline diverging approaches but the government will still strive for as large a coverage as possible. There is an acknowledgement among government planners that BPL enumeration has been restrictive and even though percentages are contested, the absolute number of poor would grow in terms of India’s population.
The NAC, however, is at odds with the rural development ministry for turning down some criteria for automatic inclusions in the BPL category. The Tendulkar panel estimates are being taken as a point of reference for the coverage area of the food law and a formula is being worked on to reconcile poverty cut-offs as given by him. The two options for food law are —Tendulkar or Tendulkar-plus with differentiated entitlements.
While the Saxena committee was to comment on census methodology, it also offered the view that 50% of India’s population was below poverty line. The government’s statistics (2004) peg this 27% and the Suresh Tendulkar committee puts it at 37%. The NAC favours a 90% rural coverage and a 50% urban coverage but the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council proposes 46% rural and 28% urban beneficiaries.
The seeming deadlock could be eased by the pilot BPL survey and nudge NAC and the government towards a percentage of coverage that is acceptable to both. The government’s concern has been that its procurement, storing and payout commitments should not be strained by the legal entitlements under the food security law. The NAC, on its part, does not want the poor to be disadvantaged in any manner and seeks automatic cover for certain categories like single woman-headed families in rural areas.


Survey shows 25-30% of rural population could be excluded

http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21618

NASA Satellites Show Towering Thunderstorms in Rare Sub-tropical Storm

Hurricane Season 2011: Sub-Tropical Storm Arani (South Atlantic Ocean)

03.17.11


› View larger image
On March 16 at 15:53 UTC (1:52 p.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani in the Southern Atlantic and captured some remaining cold, strong thunderstorms (purple) north and east of the storm's center. Those areas represent very high, cold, thunderstorm cloud tops where temperatures are as cold as or colder than -63F/-52C.
Credit: NASA/JPL, Ed OlsenNASA Sees Sub-Tropical Storm Arani Merging With a Front

Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is now merging with a weather front and going out with a bang, according to NASA satellite imagery. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite still showed some powerful thunderstorms in the system.

On March 16 at 15:53 UTC (1:52 p.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani in the Southern Atlantic. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured some remaining cold, strong thunderstorms north and east of the storm's center at that time. Those areas represent very high, cold, thunderstorm cloud tops where temperatures are as cold as or colder than -63F/-52C, and were areas of heavy rainfall.

Although Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is located several hundred miles east of Rio de Janiero, it was still bringing heavy surf to beaches. Arpoador Beach reported rough surf on March 16 from Arani as it continued to move east and away from Brazil. Arani is now in the process of merging with a cold front and joining several other rare tropical cyclones in the history of the Southern Atlantic.

Text Credit: Rob Gutro/Hal Pierce, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.


March 16, 2011

› View larger image
This 3-D view of Sub-tropical Storm Arani's clouds was created from data taken by NASA's TRMM satellite. It showed that there were very heavy thunderstorms (red) in the eastern half of the storm. TRMM's Precipitation Radar showed that some of these powerful storms were reaching to heights of over 14 km (~8.7 miles) above the surface of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal Pierce
› View larger image
The TRMM satellite had another very good view of Sub-tropical Cyclone Arani in the morning light on March 16, 2011 at 1052 UTC. This data showed that there were very heavy thunderstorms in the eastern half of the storm. TRMM's Precipitation Radar showed that some of these powerful storms were reaching to heights of over 14 km (~8.7 miles) above the surface of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal Pierce
› View larger image
On Mar. 16 at 03:29 UTC (Mar. 15 at 11:29 p.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani's cold thunderstorm cloud tops (purple) in two areas of the storm. Those cloud tops were as cold as or colder than -63F/-52 C, and were areas of heavy rainfall. The strongest thunderstorms appeared north and south of the center of circulation.
Credit: NASA/JPL, Ed Olsen
› View larger image
TRMM measured the rainfall rates within Sub-Tropical Storm Arani on March 15 at 1820 UTC (2:20 p.m. EST). TRMM rainfall images are false-colored with yellow, green and red areas, which indicate rainfall between 20 and 40 millimeters (.78 to 1.57 inches) per hour. Dark red areas are considered heavy rainfall, as much as 2 inches of rain per hour.
Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal PierceNASA Satellites Show Towering Thunderstorms in Rare Sub-tropical Storm Arani

NASA's Aqua and TRMM satellites are providing data to scientists about the Southern Atlantic Ocean Sub-tropical Storm Arani, a rare occurrence in the southern ocean. Rainfall data and cloud top temperatures revealed some heavy rain and strong thunderstorms exist in Arani as it continues to pull away from Brazil.

NOAA's Satellite and Information Service classified Arani as a T1 on the Dvorak intensity scale which would indicate an estimated wind speed of about 29 knots (~33 mph).

During the daytime on Tuesday, March 15 at 1820 UTC (2:20 p.m. EST) NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite flew over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani. TRMM rainfall data showed that the storm contained mostly moderate rainfall, falling at a rate between 20 and 40 millimeters (.89 to 1.57 inches) per hour. However, there were some areas of heavy rainfall in the north and eastern quadrants of the storm. The heavier rainfall was occurring at about 50 mm or 2 inches per hour. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data were used in the image above to show rainfall near Arani.

On Mar. 16 at 03:29 UTC (Mar. 15 at 11:29 p.m. EST) another of NASA's fleet of Earth science satellites flew over Sub-tropical Storm Arani and took its temperature. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani's cold thunderstorm cloud tops in two areas of the storm. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that flies aboard Aqua provided infrared readings of those cloud tops and showed that they were as cold as or colder than -63F/-52 C, and were areas of heavy rainfall. The strongest thunderstorms wrapped from the north, eastward to the south of the center of circulation, confirming the data from the TRMM satellite.

Later on March 16, at 10:52 UTC (6:52 a.m. EST), the TRMM satellite again passed over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani and noticed it still had some strong thunderstorms and was producing heavy rainfall off the Brazilian coast.

TRMM data was used to create a 3-D view of Sub-tropical Storm Arani's clouds, and it showed that there were very heavy thunderstorms in the eastern half of the storm. TRMM's Precipitation Radar showed that some of these powerful storms were reaching to heights of over 14 km (~8.7 miles) above the surface of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.

Arani has the appearance of a tropical cyclone but has been classified as a subtropical cyclone. Subtropical cyclones are low pressure areas that develop with a cold core and transition to a warm core in the mid-levels of the troposphere, resembling a tropical cyclone. They more typically form outside of hurricane season (which is June 1 to Nov. 30 in the Northern Atlantic, for example). They also have broad wind patterns and that means that their maximum sustained winds are usually located farther from the center than a tropical cyclone. They also have no weather fronts linked to them, such as a typical low pressure area that brings summertime storms with an associated cold front. Subtropical cyclones can sometimes become tropical cyclones, and occasionally, tropical cyclones can become subtropical.

Tropical cyclones are very rare in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. In 2004 a cyclone called Catarina formed in the South Atlantic and caused some controversy when it was classified as a hurricane by the United States' National Hurricane Center.

Arani is over the open waters of the Southern Atlantic and continues to move east-southeast and farther away from Brazil.

Text Credit: Rob Gutro/Hal Pierce, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.


























March 15, 2011

› View larger image
On March 14 at 1553 UTC (11:53 a.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani along the Brazilian coast. Most of the convection and thunderstorms (purple) were limited to the eastern half of the storm.
Credit: NASA JPL, Ed OlsenNASA's Aqua Satellite Spots Rare Southern Atlantic Sub-Tropical Storm

NASA's Aqua satellite spotted some strong convection in a recently formed low pressure area that strengthened into Sub-Tropical Storm Arani in the South Atlantic. Arani formed near the coast of Brazil and is now moving away from it. Tropical cyclones in the Southern Atlantic are a rare occurrence and since 2004 there have only been three of them, Arani being the third.

On March 14, 2011 at 1553 UTC (11:53 a.m. EST) the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani moving away from the Brazilian coast. Most of the convection and thunderstorms were limited to the eastern half of the storm at the time of the image. The strong areas of convection (rapidly rising air that condenses and forms the thunderstorms that power a tropical cyclone) appeared on the imagery as a sideways boomerang, and were off-shore, paralleling the coast.

AIRS measured the temperatures in those strong areas of convection and found they were as cold as or colder than -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius) indicating some strong thunderstorms with heavy rainfall. That heavy rainfall was occurring off-shore. NASA's AIRS imagery is created at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

On March 15 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EST), the Brazilian Navy issued a special marine warning for the Brazilian coast. The warning stated that Sub-Tropical Storm Arani was located near 24.0 South latitude and 37 West longitude. Arani had a minimum central pressure of 998 millibars and was moving east-southeast near 10 to 15 knot winds.

Tropical cyclones in the Southern Atlantic Ocean are rare. In 2010 System 90Q formed in the same region where Sub-Tropical Storm Arani formed this year. For more information on System 90Q, visit NASA's Hurricane page archives at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2010/h2010_90Q.html.

Dr. Jack Beven of the National Hurricane Center, Miami, Fla. said that Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is not currently as well developed as Tropical Storm Catarina was in the Southern Atlantic in 2004 or System 90Q last year.

The Brazilian Navy has marine forecasting responsibility for that part of the Atlantic designated the system a subtropical cyclone. For updates from the Brazilian Navy on Sub-Tropical Storm Arani, visit:https://www.mar.mil.br/dhn/chm/meteo/indexing.htm. NASA's Hurricane page is managed out of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is forecast to continue moving away from the Brazilian coast over the next couple of days.

Text Credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.