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September 23, 2020 - Tropical Storm Beta
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Tropical Storm Beta made landfall over the southern end of the Matagorda Peninsula, Texas, around 11:00 p.m. EDT on September 21. At that time, it was packing maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph (72.4 km/h) and carrying heavy rain. The Matagorda Peninsula extends into the Gulf of Mexico and sits between Galveston and Corpus Christi.
The slow-moving storm weakened as it crawled inland, and by 11:00 a.m. EDT on September 22 it was downgraded to a tropical depression. At that time, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Beta’s center was located about 15 mi (25 km) east-northeast of Victoria, Texas and about 30 mi (45 km) west-northwest of Palacios, Texas with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 km/h). It was moving to the northeast at 2 mph (4 km/h).
Heavy rain is the primary hazard that remains for Tropical Depression Beta as it slowly wanders inland. The NCH states, “Since Beta's center is forecast to remain just inland for the next 36-48 hours, chances of the cyclone regaining tropical storm status are becoming less likely. As a result, the new official intensity forecast shows Beta remaining a 25-30 knot depression during that time, followed by weakening to a remnant low by 48 hours, and dissipation over Mississippi or Alabama by 96 hours”.
On September 21, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of Tropical Storm Beta as its center just approached the central Texas coast. Storm bands extended well to the northeast of the center, bringing cloud-cover to Louisiana and Arkansas.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/21/2020
Resolutions:
1km (599.7 KB), 500m (2.1 MB), 250m (6.2 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Tropical Storm Beta made landfall over the southern end of the Matagorda Peninsula, Texas, around 11:00 p.m. EDT on September 21. At that time, it was packing maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph (72.4 km/h) and carrying heavy rain. The Matagorda Peninsula extends into the Gulf of Mexico and sits between Galveston and Corpus Christi.
The slow-moving storm weakened as it crawled inland, and by 11:00 a.m. EDT on September 22 it was downgraded to a tropical depression. At that time, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Beta’s center was located about 15 mi (25 km) east-northeast of Victoria, Texas and about 30 mi (45 km) west-northwest of Palacios, Texas with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 km/h). It was moving to the northeast at 2 mph (4 km/h).
Heavy rain is the primary hazard that remains for Tropical Depression Beta as it slowly wanders inland. The NCH states, “Since Beta's center is forecast to remain just inland for the next 36-48 hours, chances of the cyclone regaining tropical storm status are becoming less likely. As a result, the new official intensity forecast shows Beta remaining a 25-30 knot depression during that time, followed by weakening to a remnant low by 48 hours, and dissipation over Mississippi or Alabama by 96 hours”.
On September 21, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of Tropical Storm Beta as its center just approached the central Texas coast. Storm bands extended well to the northeast of the center, bringing cloud-cover to Louisiana and Arkansas.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/21/2020
Resolutions:
1km (599.7 KB), 500m (2.1 MB), 250m (6.2 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
