image: NASA's AIRS instrument captured this infrared view of Hubert's frigid clouds, seen here in blue and purple. Purple indicates high and strong thunderstorms with cloud-top temperatures as cold is -63 Fahrenheit. view more
Credit: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen
Hubert may not be a tropical storm now that it has made landfall in southeastern Madagascar, but it's still a formidable and large storm system. NASA's Aqua satellite revealed that there are still some very high, strong thunderstorms in Hubert's remnants as it continues to bring rains and gusty winds to southeast and south-central Madagascar.
NASA's Aqua infrared satellite imagery from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument confirmed that some deep convection (rapidly rising air that creates the thunderstorms that power tropical cyclones) is still occurring in the storm, even though the center is over land.
The infrared image of Hubert captured on March 11 at 1053 UTC (5:53 a.m. ET) and showed some high, cold thunderstorms around the center of the storm, and that the eastern edge of Hubert was still over the Southern Indian Ocean. Hubert is expected to continue moving inland and grow weaker.
At 1 p.m. ET, March 11, heavier rains stretched from the city of Vavtenina southward through the cities of Mahanoro, Nosy Varika, Mananjary and Fianarantsoa. Most of the heaviest rains remained to the east and south of the capital city of Antananarivo.
Residents in southern and central Madagascar can continue to expect some moderate to heavy rainfall from this system over the next couple of days.