image: Tropical Storm Ken is becoming extra-tropical in the open waters of the South Pacific Ocean. On Mar. 19 at 03:00 Zulu Time (Mar. 18 at 11 p.m. EDT), Ken still had sustained winds near 45 knots (52 mph), but those winds are expected to drop to 35 knots (40 mph) in 24 hours. Ken was located about 265 nautical miles south of the island of Rarotonga, near 26.3 south and 159.6 west. It was moving southeastward near 12 knots (14 mph). Rarotonga is the most populous island in a group of islands known as the Cook Islands. NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this visible image of Ken. view more
Credit: NASA JPL