NASA sees Colin come calling on the US Southeast

Tropical Storm Colin moved fast after making landfall in northwestern Florida on June 6 and by the morning of June 7, 2016 it was centered off the coast of North and South Carolina. NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites and NOAA's GOES-East satellite provided a look at the storm before and after landfall in Florida.

On June 6, 2016 at 16:20 UTC (12:20 p.m. EDT) NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible light image of Tropical Storm Colin over the Gulf of Mexico. Colin's clouds had already spread over Florida. By 11 p.m. EDT, Colin was making landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. During the early morning hours of June 7, Colin moved in a northeasterly direction across northern Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean.

On June 7, 2016 a Tropical Storm Warning was in effect from Surf City to Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.

pic On June 6, 2016 at 16:20 UTC (12:20 p.m. EDT) NASA's Terra satellite captured this visible light image of Tropical Storm Colin over the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: Credits: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response

At 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Colin was estimated to be near 33.6 degrees north latitude and 77.8 degrees west longitude. That's about 45 miles (75 km) south of Wilmington, North Carolina and about 170 miles (280 km) southwest of Cape Hatteras.

The National Hurricane Center said Colin is speeding toward the northeast near 33 mph (54 kph) and this motion is expected to continue with an increase in forward speed today and tonight. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts. Some increase in strength is expected during the next 24 hours. However, it's important to note that the strongest winds and heaviest rains are well removed from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 millibars.

On June 7, 2016 at 0729 UTC (3:29 a.m. EDT), NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared temperature data on Colin's cloud tops as it was moving north from coastal Georgia to the coast of the Carolinas. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument gathered the infrared data that was made into a false-colored image at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. The image showed some thunderstorms within Colin were still strong and were high into the troposphere with cloud top temperatures near minus 63 Fahrenheit/minus 53 Celsius.

Later at 1330 UTC (9:30 a.m. EDT), NOAA's GOES-East satellite image captured a visible light image that showed the bulk of Colin's clouds had already moved into the Atlantic Ocean. The center of Colin was just off-shore near the border of North and South Carolina. Satellite and surface observations indicate that Colin's circulation is becoming less defined.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA manages the GOES-East satellite and NASA/NOAA's GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland created the image that showed Colin's position.

The National Hurricane Center said that storm surge is expected from Florida north, today, June 7, 2016. Colin is expected to bring heavy rain across eastern North Carolina and central Florida through today. Tropical-storm conditions and the possibility of tornadoes over some parts of eastern North and South Carolina. The National Hurricane Center said that Colin is expected to lose its tropical cyclone characteristics today.

source: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center