NASA shows upper-level westerly winds affecting Tropical Storm Fred

Upper-level westerly winds have been affecting Tropical Storm Fred in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean and continue to do so today, September 3. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed the highest thunderstorms pushed southeast of the storm's center.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite gathers infrared data that reveals temperatures. When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Storm Fred on September 2 at 15:05 UTC (11:05 a.m. EDT), the AIRS data and showed some highest, coldest, strongest thunderstorms with cloud top temperatures near -63F/-53C were being pushed southeast of the center.

On September 3, Forecaster Avila of the National Hurricane Center noted that a surge of strong upper-level westerly winds removed most of the convection from Fred overnight, and again the cyclone consists of a very vigorous swirl of low clouds.

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) the center of Tropical Storm Fred was located near latitude 21.5 North, longitude 34.1 West. That's about 760 miles (1,225 km) west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Fred's maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph (65 kph). Fred was moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph (15 kph), and this motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1005 millibars.

Fred is encountering strong upper-level winds, so weakening is forecast. The NHC expects Fred to become a post-tropical remnant low pressure area by tomorrow, September 4.