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Satnews Daily
August 31st, 2009

Here's Looking @ Earth... Double Threats...


GOES-12 hurricanes Jimena Kevin NASA Jimena has become a powerful Category Three hurricane in the Eastern Pacific, and Tropical Storm Kevin developed to her west. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-12, operated by NOAA, caught remnants from Danny exiting Newfoundland and Hurricane Jimena on the Mexican west coast, and Tropical Storm Kevin farther west this morning at 7:45 a.m. EDT. NASA's GOES Project created imagery from the GOES-12 satellite that clearly shows Danny's clouds stretched from the Mid-Atlantic north to New England. The image also shows a powerful Hurricane Jimena with a clear eye, and a less intense Tropical Storm Kevin.

At 9:00 a.m. EDT this morning, Jimena's center was located about 305 miles south of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, near 16.0 north and 105.7 west. She had maximum sustained winds near 115 mph. She was moving northwest near 12 mph. Minimum central pressure is near 965 millibars, a drop of 25 millibars in 24 hours indicating rapid intensification. The National Hurricane Center noted "interests in western Mexico and the southern Baja California Peninsula should monitor the progress of Jimena."

Farther to her west, the second area of low pressure forecasters were watching on Friday has developed into Tropical Storm Kevin. He had sustained winds near 50 mph, and is forecast to strengthen. He's located about 995 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, near 14.1 north and 121.9 west. Kevin was north at 7 mph and had a minimum central pressure of 1000 millibars.

There is also one one new area in the Atlantic forecasters are watching for likely development, located 950 miles east of the Windward Islands. This area has a greater than 50 percent chance of development, according to the National Hurricane Center. (Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.)