Bermuda in warnings as the GOES-13 Satellite catches Fiona approaching

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Bermuda today, Sept. 2, as tropical storm force winds are expected there by late Friday. Bermuda can expect between 1 to 3 inches of rainfall from Fiona.

When the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite called GOES-13 captured a visible image of Tropical Storm Fiona approaching Bermuda this afternoon at 1825 UTC (2:25 p.m. EDT) it was a stark contrast in the size of two storms. The huge Category 4 Hurricane Earl nearing North Carolina's coast and is about 400 miles from end to end. Fiona appeared much smaller. Fiona's tropical storm force winds extend 115 miles from the center, although mainly to the east. If those winds were around the circumference of the storm, Fiona would be about 230 miles from end to end, but she's not even that large because most of the strong winds are on one side of the storm. By comparison, Earl dwarfs his “sister.”

GOES satellites are operated by NOAA, and the NASA GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. produces satellite images and animations from them.

At 2 p.m. EDT on Sept. 2, Tropical Storm Fiona had maximum sustained winds near 50 mph, and slow weakening is forecast in the next 2 days. Fiona was about 520 miles south-southwest of Bermuda near 25.0 North and 66.3 West. She was moving north-northwest near 17 mph, with a minimum central pressure of 1002 millibars.