Olivia Photo gallery

On 24 and 25 September 1994 Dr. Peter Black took a remarkable set of slides in Eastern Pacific Hurricane Olivia. On the 24th Olvia's central pressure was steady at 949 hPa and the maximum flight-level winds were 120 kt. On the 25th the storm had intensified to 925 hPa, but the sea-level pressure rose by more than 10 hPa during the 4 h that the P-3s were there. The storm moved from WNW 16N 118W on the 24th to 19N 120W on the 25th. These images illustrate important aspects of tropical-cyclone eye dynamics:
  1. View of Olivia's eyewall with the P-3's wing in the foreground. Olivia eyewall
  2. Inclined convective rolls along the inner edge of the eyewall wind maximum. Olivia eyewall photo
  3. Virga cascading down the inner edge of the eye. Olivia virga photo
  4. Low clouds in Olivia's eye Olivia low clouds on 24 September showing the sea surface visible through breaks in the undercast.
  5. Low clouds in the eye on 25 September Olivia overcast showing the unbroken overcast due to moistening of the eye as Olivia filled.
  6. Composite panorama Olivia panorama photo of Olivia's eyewall on 24 September.
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