During the year, a total of 134 tropical cyclones had formed this year to date. During 2015, tropical cyclones formed within seven different tropical cyclone basins, located within various parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Mar. The AIRS data was made into an image at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. People in these affected areas are advised to take extra precautions, especially those areas close to river banks and in low lying areas. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) noted that wave heights were up to 40 feet (12.1 meters). Tropical Cyclone "Pam" formed in the Solomon Islands in the Southern Pacific Ocean early on March 9, 2015 prompting tropical cyclone watch for all of the Solomon Islands. Rob Gutro 350 Vanuatu has been helping lead the relief and recovery efforts after Tropical Cyclone Pam. A tropical cyclone needs two main ingredients: a cluster of thunderstorms and a warm body of water – at least 27ºC – from which the storm gathers its energy. The image showed Pam's 15 nautical mile (17.2 mile/27.7 km) wide eye just east of Vanuatu's islands. 16, 2015 - NASA Sees Extra-Tropical Storm Pam Moving Away from New Zealand. In the Solomon Islands there is a tropical cyclone warning in effect for the Temotu province, and a watch remains in effect for remaining provinces. Pam is forecast to move southeast and south while intensifying to hurricane-strength over the next couple of days. How Cyclone Pam was formed It was on March 6th 2015 the Fiji meteorological service discovered the disturbance called cyclone Pam. Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted on March 13, "As the cyclone tracks more poleward (south), it will encounter increasing vertical wind shear and cooling sea surface temperatures that will slowly erode it. Category 5 Cyclone Pam was the most intense tropical cyclone in the southern hemisphere in 2015 and the second most intense tropical cyclone ever in the South Pacific basin. Cyclone Pam was formed because the Pacific Ocean, east of Vanuatu, experienced higher than average sea temperatures, resulting in the formation of the cyclone's great size and strength. On March 13 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT), Tropical Cyclone Pam had maximum sustained winds near 145 knots (166.9 mph/268.5 kph). The cloud of blue is a sign of Tropical Cyclone Pam's passage. NZMS noted "The heavy rain, severe southerly gales and extremely large seas that affected eastern parts of the North Island will continue to ease Monday night and Tuesday morning. The GPM or Global Precipitation Mission's Core Observatory flew over Pam on March 9, 2015 at 0501 UTC (1:01 a.m. EDT). Facts about Cyclone Pam talk about a notable disaster which hit the southern hemisphere in 2015. Another instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared data on the storm. Pam was a Category 5 hurricane that churned the warm ocean waters and brought sediment from the ocean floor to the surface. GPM identified heavy rainfall in excess of 1.4 inches per hour in a fragmented bands of thunderstorms north of Tropical Cyclone Pam's center on March 9 at 05:01 UTC (1:01 a.m. EST). Pam was centered near 18.3 south latitude and 168.9 east longitude. On March 11 at 0900 UTC (5 a.m. EDT) Tropical Cyclone Pam's (known as 11F in Fiji) maximum sustained winds were near 105 knots (121 mph/194 kph). 10, 2015 - NASA Looks Inside and Outside of Tropical Cyclone Pam  Â. NASA's Terra satellite provided an outside look at Tropical Cyclone Pam while the RapidScat instrument that flies aboard the International Space Station provided an inside look at the surface winds generated by the storm. Due to the Cyclone Pam, there were around 15 to 16 people … On March 15 at 02:05 UTC, the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this visible image of Tropical Cyclone Pam off northern New Zealand as it was becoming an extra-tropical cyclone. Tropical cyclone (TC) Pam formed in the central south Pacific in early March 2015. NASA's Terra satellite passed over Tropical Cyclone Pam as it continued intensifying in the Southern Pacific Ocean and captured an image of the storm's 20 nautical mile-wide, cloud-filled eye. Â, [image-256]RapidScat Eyes Ex-Tropical Cyclone Pam's Winds Near Chatham IslandÂ. Shortly after Cyclone Pam was classified, the outer rainbands of Pam led to the formation of a tropical low near Australia on 9 March. Pam's forecast to track calls for the tropical cyclone to move southwards and pass east of the country during Monday and Tuesday, March 16 and 17. NASA's GPM Core observatory satellite passed over Pam as the cyclone began pulling away from Vanuatu on the 14th.  The image was taken at 03:51 UTC (2:51 p.m. local time) on March 14, 2015 and showed rain rates within Cyclone Pam observed from GPM's microwave (GMI, in the outer swath) and radar (DPR, inner swath) instruments.  GPM showed that Pam was still a very powerful storm.  A well-defined, closed inner eyewall denoted by the annulus of intense rain rates up to 50 mm/2 inches per hour, is indicative of a well-formed intense cyclonic circulation.  Typically the faster the winds, the more symmetrical the precipitation features around the storm's center.  At that time, Pam's maximum sustained winds were still estimated at 135 knots (~155 mph) by JTWC, putting it near the top of the Saffir-Simpson category 4 scale. Humanitarian organizations reported that some 50 to 90 percent of all homes, schools, churches, places of business, and other structures in the country suffered some damage from the storm, and winds and water had denuded many of the country’s forestlands and croplands. The GPM core satellite provided another inside look at Pam and provided data on where the heavy rainfall was occurring within the storm. As of late March 2015, the government of Vanuatu reported 11 deaths, whereas the United Nations attributed 16 deaths to the storm. On March 17, RapidScat showed Pam's strongest winds stretched over the northern quadrant and were near 25 m/s (56 mph/90 kph). Shortly after the storm passed over Tuvalu, the country’s prime minister, Enele Sopoaga, declared a state of emergency, noting that 45 percent of Tuvalu’s 9,900 people were displaced by the storm, many because of storm surges and flooding, which damaged homes, contaminated drinking water, and killed livestock. Tropical Cyclone Pam, a massive storm with winds up to 185 mph and torrential rain, battered the nation of Vanuatu on Friday, causing “complete devastation” to the island chain in the South Pacific. The MODIS image showed that the southern band of thunderstorms were over Gaua and Vanua Lava, the largest and second largest of the Banks Islands in Torba Province, Vanuatu. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite saw powerful towering thunderstorms in Tropical Cyclone Pam, indicating the storm was strengthening as it moved through the Solomon Islands. On March 9, a tropical cyclone watch was in effect for all of the Solomon Islands. Pam formed earlier in the day in the Solomon Islands in the Southern Pacific Ocean. On March 9, RapidScat revealed sustained winds over 56 mph/90 kph/25 meters per second, occurring near the center and northern quadrant of Tropical Cyclone Pam. Updates? NASA research has shown that thunderstorms with cloud tops that cold, and that high into the atmosphere have the ability to drop heavy rainfall. For cyclones to occur and develop, the sea temperature must be 27°C for several weeks prior. Warnings continue from the Solomon Islands south to New Zealand. RapidScat revealed sustained winds over 30 meters per second (108 kph/67 mph) were still occurring southeast of the center. Cyclone Pam: Vanuatu islanders forced to drink saltwater. According to the Vanuatu Meteorological Services on March 13 (March 14 at 1:02 a.m. VUT Vanuatu local time) hurricane force winds of 255 kph (158.4 mph) were affecting the Shefa, Malampa and Penama provinces and slowly extending to the Tafea province. The storm passed over central and southern Vanuatu as a Category 5 storm Hurricane-force winds extended 30 nautical miles (34.5 miles/55.5 km) out from the center, while tropical storm force winds extended as far as 170 nautical miles (195.6 miles/314.8 km) making the storm over 340 nautical miles (391.3 miles/629.7 km) in diameter. For updated warnings in Vanuatu, visit: http://www.meteo.gov.vu/TropicalCyclones/Warning/tabid/172/Default.aspx. [image-157]NASA Sees a Colorful Sea in Cyclone Pam's Wake. The image was false-colored to show temperature differences. The United Nations says 24 people are confirmed dead and more than 3,000 others displaced by Cyclone Pam in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. A cyclone is formed when a system of winds moving in circular motion closes in toward an area of the sea with low atmospheric pressure. The MODIS or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Pam in the South Pacific Ocean on March 9 at 23:00 UTC (7:00 p.m. EDT). TRMM's Precipitation Radar (PR) instrument covered the area to the northwest of Pam's eye and data was used to create a 3-D view of the storm that showed some cloud top heights there were reaching heights above 16 km (9.9 miles). Banding of thunderstorms from the east and north wrapped into the center of circulation. TRMM is managed by both NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The RapidScat instrument aboard the International Space Station captured two views of Tropical Cyclone Pam's winds. How a cyclone forms. This heating works best when it occurs near the center of the storm. Cyclone Pam has also been associated with a weak *El Nino event that happened in the Pacific Ocean. The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this visible image of Tropical Cyclone Pam in the South Pacific Ocean on March 9 at 23:00 UTC. Warm air then rapidly rises, creating low pressure. Storm-force winds up to 120 kph (74.5 mph) are expected to continue affecting Sanma and Torba provinces today, but those winds will be decreasing as Pam moves southward. That's just 45 km (28 miles) east of Port Vila and 105 km (65.2 miles) north northwest of Erromango, Vanuatu. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast takes Pam east of Vanuatu. The precipitation within these tall storms are providing energy called latent heat that drives the circulation of the storm. Mar. On March 17 (or 12:17 a.m. local time, March 18), the New Zealand Meteorlogical Service bulletin stated "Ex Tropical Cyclone Pam lies southeast of the Chatham Islands today, leaving a south to southwest flow over New Zealand. This false-colored infrared image of Category 5 Cyclone Pam shows the small eye just east of Vanuatu, surrounded by very cold cloudtop temperatures indicating powerful thunderstorms (purple). NASA's Terra satellite captured this visible image of Tropical Cyclone Pam showing her eye in the South Pacific Ocean on March 11 at 22:50 UTC. http://www.metservice.com/marine-surf/coastal/chatham-islands, http://www.meteo.gov.vu/TropicalCyclones/Warning/tabid/172/Default.aspx, http://www.metservice.com/warnings/severe-weather-watch. A wide band of fragmented thunderstorms in the northern and western quadrants of the storm were wrapping into the center from the north.  Another thick, fragmented band of thunderstorms curved from the east to the south and west, where it wrapped into the center of circulation. The Global Precipitation Measurement or GPM core satellite flew overhead and found some heavy rain occurring when it measured rainfall rates within the intensifying storm. Tropical Cyclone Pam formed in the Solomon Islands in the Southern Pacific Ocean early on March 9. From its orbit in space, the GPM satellite has the ability to measure the rates in which rain is falling in storms. Carbonate sediments lofted by Tropical Cyclone Pam in the South Pacific were spotted by NASA’s Terra satellite on March 16 at 23:05 UTC (7:05 p.m. EDT). Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cyclone-Pam, Learn about the formation of Cyclone Pam and its impact on people's lives on Vanuatu, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Infrared data measured cloud top temperatures, and temperatures of the powerful thunderstorms surrounding Pam's eye were as cold as -81F (-61C/210K). One of Pam's intense feeder (thunderstorm) bands northwest of the islands was dropping rain at a rate of over 158 mm (6.2 inches) per hour. The cyclone then turned southward, passing the islands of Erromango and Tanna in the early hours of March 14, and its winds later fell to 95–111 miles (about 153–179 km) per hour. They occur in … On March 10, TRMM saw thunderstorms northwest of the Santa Cruz Islands was dropping rain at a rate of over 158 mm (6.2 inches) per hour and cloud tops reached heights above 16 km (9.9 miles). In addition, many of Vanuatu’s water sources were contaminated, and most household vegetable gardens, upon which much of the population depends for food, had been wiped out. Pam has now triggered warnings in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Zealand. 17, 2015 - NASA Sees Vanuatu 4 Days After Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Pam, The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this visible image of Vanuatu on March 16 at 23:05 UTC (7:05 p.m. EDT).Â, Rob Gutro At the time of Pam's formation, Vanuatu’s sea surface temperatures were 1 - 2 degrees Celsius higher than the average. Rob Gutro / Hal Pierce It was a category 5 cyclone and one of the strongest to hit the area of Vanuatu. RapidScat revealed sustained winds over 30 meters per second/108 kph/67 mph (in red) were still occurring southeast of Pam's center on March 16. Additional warnings are also in effect in New Zealand as Pam continues to head south. Cyclone Pam produced high winds, coastal storm surges, heavy rains, and flooding in the affected countries and was classified for a time as a category 5 storm. Image of Tropical Cyclone Pam taken on March 15, 2015, at 2:05 Coordinated Universal Time. 10, 2015, between 15:15 to 16:47 UTC, the International Space Station's  RapidScat instrument showed Tropical Cyclone Pam's strongest maximum sustained winds were near 35 meters per second (78.9 mph/126 kph) north and east of the center of circulation. Pam has tracked south-southwestward at 4 knots (4.6 mph/7.4 kph). The JTWC forecast takes Pam between the island of Fiji and New Caledonia over the next four days. On March 15 at 02:05 UTC, the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Pam off northern New Zealand as it was becoming an extra-tropical cyclone. JTWC expects Pam's winds to strengthen to about 140 knots (161.1 mph/259.3 kph) in the next couple of days as it continues in a southerly direction through the Southern Pacific Ocean. Tropical Cyclone Pam will begin extra-tropical transition by Saturday, March 14 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT). In the history of Vanuatu, it received the status as the most severe one. The areas cited under the warning are Gisborne and northern Hawkes Bay.Â. The watch in place calls for the possibility of gale-force southerly winds in Wellington and dangerous coastal conditions through Tuesday. In the Solomon Islands a tropical cyclone warming remained in effect for the Temotu province, and a tropical cyclone watch was in effect for the remaining provinces. A tropical cyclone warning is in effect for Torba, Penama, Sanma, Malampa, Shefa and Tafea provinces. 2015 — Vanuatu is storm-struck March 9: Cyclone Pam becomes … Tropical Cyclone Pam was a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale when it affected Vanuatu on March 13. 3:46 to 5:19 UTC image showed strong thunderstorms around the Center of circulation move... 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