NASA sees formation of Central Atlantic Tropical Storm Ian

The low pressure area known as System 94L developed into Tropical Storm Ian on Sept. 14. NOAA's GOES-East satellite data was made into an animation that showed the development of the central Atlantic storm. An animation of GOES-East satellite visible and infrared imagery from Sept. 10 to 14 showed the development of Tropical Storm Ian in the Central Atlantic Ocean. The animation was created at the NASA/NOAA GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The animation showed on Sept. 14 that Ian remains a sheared tropical storm, with the low-cloud center exposed to the south of the main area of deep convection and developing strong thunderstorms.

The National Hurricane Center noted that the strong vertical shear over Ian is being produced by an upper-level low pressure area located a couple of hundred miles to the west-northwest.

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on Sept. 13 the center of Tropical Storm Ian was located near 25.4 degrees north latitude and 52.3 degrees west longitude. That's about 895 miles (1,435 km) east-southeast of Bermuda.

Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 kph) with higher gusts. Some slight strengthening is possible during the next couple of days. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1005 millibars.

The NHC said that Ian is moving toward the north-northwest near 13 mph (20 kph), and a turn toward the north and north-northeast at increasing forward speed is expected over the next 48 hours, remaining over the open waters of the Atlantic and no threat to land.

For updates on Ian, visit NOAA's NHC website: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov.

Source: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center