A satellite from NASA-NOAA’s Finnish nuclear power plant passed over the eye of Hurricane Helene in the Eastern Atlantic.

On September 10, at 10:42 a.m. EDT (1442 UTC), the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) satellite from NASA-NOAA’s Finnish nuclear power plant took a visible picture of Hurricane Helene. According to the VIIRS images, the eye was about 20 nautical miles wide.

The next day, September 11, the NOAA National Hurricane Center spotted another satellite image of Helene showing a well-developed closed eye wall and a strong thunderstorm with cold clouds of minus 104 degrees Fahrenheit / minus 76 degrees Celsius (showed very strong storms) through the eastern quarters.

At 5.00 EDT (0900 UTC) on September 11, Hurricane Helene Center was located near latitude 16.0 degrees north and longitude 33.6 degrees west. It is about 620 miles (995 km) west of the southernmost islands of Cape Verde and about 1,570 miles (2,530 km) southwest of the Azores.

Maximum continuous wind speeds are close to 110 mph (175 km / h) and gusts higher. Some strengthening is possible over the next 12 hours, but gradual deterioration is expected thereafter.

Helene is moving west-northwest at 14 mph (22 km / h), and this movement is expected to continue forward as the speed slows to this night. On Wednesday, September 12, and Thursday, September 13, a turn to the northwest and then the northwest is forecast.

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Updated forecasts are available at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

Author: Rob Gutro

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center