November 11, 2020 - Subtropical Storm Theta

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   Subtropical Storm Theta
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   On November 10, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
   (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of
   a record-setting storm in a record-setting Atlantic Hurricane Season.
   Subtropical Storm Theta, as this system was named by the National
   Hurricane Center (NHC), is the season’s 29th named storm—the most
   storms ever recorded in a single Atlantic Hurricane Season. The
   previous most-active season was 2005, when 28 storms were recorded.

   Some of the many records set in the 2020 Atlantic season include:
   Twelve named storms made landfall in the United States (previous record
   was set in 1916 with just nine storms landfalling; first time seven
   named tropical storms made landfall in the US before September; six
   hurricanes made landfall over the United States (a tie for first place
   with 1886 and 1985). This year has also been only the second time the
   Greek alphabet has been used in the naming scheme. The first was 2005.

   Theta spun up in the open Northeastern Atlantic Ocean on November 10 as
   a sub-tropical system carrying one-minute sustained winds of up to 51
   mph (82 km/h). By 2100 UTC (4:00 p.m. EST) on November 10, the NHC
   advised that the storm had completed a transition to a tropical
   cyclone, earning it the name Tropical Storm Theta. At that time,
   one-minute sustained winds were estimated to be 69 mph (111 km/h).
   Theta remained in the Northeast Atlantic and was moving toward the
   northeast. It is expected to continue that movement, with perhaps a
   small amount of intensification before it begins to weaken over open
   ocean.

   According to the National Weather Service, subtropical cyclones
   originate over tropical or subtropical waters and have a closed
   circulation about a well-defined center. In comparison to tropical
   cyclones, the maximum winds occur relatively far from the center
   (greater than 60 nautical miles) and have a less symmetric wind field
   and distribution of convection.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 11/10/2020
   Resolutions:  1km (147 KB),  500m (447.4 KB),  250m (1.2 MB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2020-11-11
 
