image: The AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of Tropical Depression 15E on Sept. 14 at 5:47 p.m. EDT (2147 UTC), and purple indicates the strongest storms. view more
Credit: Credits: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen
Satellite imagery showed that Tropical Depression 15E continued to struggle to organize while still being affected by vertical wind shear.
The AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared temperature data on Tropical Depression 15E's clouds on Sept. 14 at 5:47 p.m. EDT (2147 UTC). Strongest thunderstorms were in two areas around the center. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted that "Just like it has on several previous occasions already, convection has decreased near the center of the depression. That said, the fact that there even is deep convection near the center is still an improvement compared to 24 hours ago."
NHC forecaster Zelinsky noted "if convection near the center of the depression can persist, the cyclone may finally begin to slowly intensify."
At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on Sept. 15, the center of Tropical Depression Fifteen-E (15E) was located near 15.9 degrees north latitude and 124.5 degrees west longitude. That's about 1,065 miles (1,715 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. The depression was moving toward the west near 5 mph (7 kph). The NHC noted a very slow westward motion is expected for the next couple of days. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1005 millibars.
Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 kph) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and the system could become a Tropical Storm later today.
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For updates on Tropical Depression 15E, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov.
Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.