Lee reborn as a tiny zombie hurricane in central Atlantic

Lee reborn as a tiny zombie hurricane in central Atlantic
On Sept. 25 at 1:35 a.m. EDT (0535 UTC) the AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite showed strong thunderstorms (purple) as cold as or colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 Celsius) circling Hurricane Lee. Credit: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen

Former Tropical Storm Lee was almost forgotten when Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Maria struck the U.S. because it weakened to a remnant low pressure area and lingered quietly in the Central Atlantic. On Friday, Sept. 22, however, it consolidated, organized and was reborn as a tropical storm. As Lee strengthened into a small "zombie" hurricane, NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites analyzed the newest Atlantic Ocean hurricane.

Former Tropical Storm Lee was almost forgotten when Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Maria struck the U.S. because it weakened to a remnant low pressure area and lingered quietly in the Central Atlantic. On Friday, Sept. 22, however, it consolidated, organized and was reborn as a tropical . As Lee strengthened into a small "zombie" , NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites analyzed the newest Atlantic Ocean hurricane.

Maximum sustained winds are near 90 mph (150 kph) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours. Lee is a tiny hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles (20 km) from the center and -force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km).

Lee is expected to move to the west and then curve to the northeast by Thursday, Sept. 28 and continue over open ocean waters in that direction.

Lee reborn as a tiny zombie hurricane in central Atlantic
The MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible picture of Hurricane Lee on Sept. 24 as it continued to move through the Central Atlantic Ocean. Lee is a compact hurricane with a clear eye. Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team

Citation: Lee reborn as a tiny zombie hurricane in central Atlantic (2017, September 25) retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2017-09-lee-reborn-tiny-zombie-hurricane.html
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