Brazilian Storm -- Hurricane??

Today's optional CEO (Crew Earth Observations) targets, in the current LVLH attitude no longer limited by flight rule constraints on the use of the Lab nadir/science window, except for the shutter closure and condensation-prevention plan (limited to 90 min. in 24 hours), were Cyclone Oscar, Indian Ocean (a Category 4 storm with winds at 160 kts, will be visible left of track [center about 2.5 deg off track]. Though not a threat to land, this is the strongest storm on the planet at the moment), Fires, SE Asia (Dynamic event. General burning after months with little rainfall is producing smoke palls. Looking left into Burma and right into Thailand), Floods, Madagascar (400mm-lens. Dynamic event. To continue the excellent ISS/CEO documentation of the floods in western Madagascar [in the wake of Cyclone Ganfilo], the ground requested a mapping swath of the coastline left of track. If possible, the crew was to use the 400mm lens, although shorter lenses could be sufficient. There is the potential of creating a time-slice history of the evolution of this event that has devastated many northern villages and towns), Ganges River Basin (very stable conditions persist in South Asia: looking left and right for aerosols. Visibilities are down to 3 miles in the valley), Mt. Kilimanjaro, Kenya (400mm-lens. Nadir pass over this ice-capped mountain. Detailed images are being requested to document the fast decline of the ice), Kabul, Afghanistan (nadir pass), Salamat Basin Fans, Chad (looking left for a general view of the whole Salamat basin [river and sediment patterns]), Muglad Basin Fans, Sudan (looking right for a general view of young surface sediments between the divide [under track] and the Nile River [about 5 deg right of track]), Aral Sea (good pass over the southern coast where the largest river [Amu Darya] flows into the sea. The Aral is about to suffer dismemberment into two basins by the growth of the central island. A December 2003 image shows the south channel severed and the north channel narrowed, but still functioning. The ground requested a status image), Tropical storm, Brazil (this storm is moving closer to the coast. Newscasts say that such tropical storms [i.e., with a warm core] are "never" seen in the south Atlantic. Looking right of track for a synoptic view), and Sao Paulo, Brazil (looking right for one of the world's largest cities [inland from the coast]).

Craven -- Do you think that Brazillian pride is the reason that the storm was being downplayed? I think they may have truly been surprised. I'm glad that it was not a very big storm. I assume a class I. hurricane (as it was called) is the lowest magnitude.

Satt -- The reason it is news is that a true hurricane has never been scientifically recorded in that part of the Atlantic. Though the surface temperature is warm enough (80F & up), the resistance between the upper atmosphere & lower atmosphere winds which create these hurricanes in the Caribbean/West Indies don't "usually" work the same in the southern Atlantic, but instead "normally" blow apart such a storm before the opposing winds can accelerate to the point that an "eye' is created.