Nation's Newest Weather Satellite Captures Glimpse of 1st 2012 Tropical Storm

After officially becoming the first named storm of the 2012 Pacific Hurricane Season on May 15, 2012, Tropical Storm Aletta was observed by the nation's newest weather satellite, the Suomi-NPP (a NOAA-NASA partnership), at around 8:30z. Seen here in 350 meter resolution VIIRS infrared imagery are the overshooting tops associated with the most intense areas of convention in the storm (colored dark orange). TS Aletta currently has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and is moving due west in the Eastern Pacific.

Data from Suomi-NPP is still undergoing quality assurance processes and are not yet operational products.

Courtesy of NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory