The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed over the storm and measured the rate in which rain was falling throughout it.
Credit: NASA/JAXA/NRL/NOAA
The GPM core satellite passed over Hurricane Barbara at 3:21 a.m. EDT (0721 UTC) on July 3, 2019. GPM found the heaviest rainfall rates were occurring around the eye. There, rain was falling at a rate of more than 50 mm (2 inches) per hour. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.
NOAA’s National Hurricane Center noted at 4 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Barbara was located near latitude 13.5 degrees North and longitude 125.6 degrees West. Barbara is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph (22 kph).
Barbara is about 1,995 miles (3,210 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii. A motion toward the west-northwest or northwest, but at a slightly slower forward speed, is expected Wednesday through Friday.
Maximum sustained winds remain near 155 mph (250 kph) with higher gusts. Barbara is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Gradual weakening is expected on Wednesday, followed by faster weakening on Thursday and Friday. Barbara is forecast to weaken to a tropical storm some time on Friday.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km). The estimated minimum central pressure is 933 mb (27.55 inches).
Source: NASA
