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Rare South Atlantic Tropical
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| Title |
Rare South Atlantic Tropical Cyclone |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of a rare tropical cyclone in the South Atlantic ocean just off the coast of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost states. The National Hurricane Center in Miami estimated the storm was a full-fledged, Category I hurricane with central winds between 75 mph and 80 mph (121 kph to 129 kph), making it the first hurricane in the South Atlantic in recorded history. Brazilian scientists however, have disagreed, saying the storm had top winds of 50 mph to 56 mph (80 kph to 90 kph), far below the 75 mph (121 kph) threshold of a hurricane. It is interesting to note that the Brazilian Center for Weather Prediction and Climatic Studies does not operate any anemometers (wind measuring devices) in the area or have any Hurricane Hunter aircraft to fly through the storm. All sides were basing their guesses on satellite data only. Image courtesy of Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone 01B
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 01B |
| Description |
On May 11, 2003, the MODIS instrument onboard the NASA's Aqua satellite captured this bird's-eye view of Tropical Cyclone 01B in the Bay of Bengal. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone 01B
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 01B |
| Description |
On May 19, 2003, the MODIS instrument onboard the NASA's Aqua satellite captured this bird's-eye view of Tropical Cyclone 01B as it was making landfall near Ramree Island on the western coast of Myanmar. The cyclone is forecast to track northward along the western coast of Myanmar and weaken rapidly. Geolocation and image processing by Jesse Allen. Date from MODIS Rapid Response systems. |
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Tropical Cyclone 01B
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 01B |
| Description |
On May 19, 2003, the MODIS instrument onboard the NASA's Aqua satellite captured this bird's-eye view of Tropical Cyclone 01B as it was making landfall near Ramree Island on the western coast of Myanmar. The cyclone is forecast to track northward along the western coast of Myanmar and weaken rapidly. Geolocation and image processing by Jesse Allen. Date from MODIS Rapid Response systems. |
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Tropical Cyclone 05A
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 05A |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Agni (05A) at 09:15 UTC on November 30, 2004 in the Indian Ocean. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Ami
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Ami |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Ami (10P), located approximately 265 miles (307 km) northeast of Suva, Fiji is packing winds of 89 mph (142 km/hr) with gusts to 104 mph (166 km/hr). Ami is expected to intensify over the next 12 hours, but then quickly undergo a transition to an extratropical system in 24-36 hours. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Boloetse
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse was winding down on February 5, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at 10:45 UTC (1:45 p.m. local time). At this time, Boloetse was heading into the southern Indian Ocean after brushing against the southern end of Madagascar. The cyclone had sustained winds of around 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), classifying it as a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. This was less intense than the previous day [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13350 ], and forecasters were predicting the storm would continue to diminish in strength as it traveled southeast away from the African coast. Tropical Cyclone Boloetse initially formed in the western Indian Ocean and traveled west, crossing the island of Madagascar as a tropical storm in late January 2006, with moderately strong rains. The storm intensity declined to tropical-depression strength as it crossed the mountainous ridgeline that runs along the eastern shore of Madagascar. However, once the storm system reached the warm waters of the Mozambique Channel, the tropical depression re-organized and built up enough strength to become a tropical cyclone. Once there, the storm reversed direction and headed southeast, taking it across Madagascar once again. It struck a glancing blow over the island's southern tip on February 4, 2006. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Boloetse
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse crossed the island of Madagascar as a tropical storm in late January 2006, with moderately strong rains. The storm intensity declined to tropical-depression strength as it crossed the mountainous ridgeline that runs along the eastern shore of Madagascar. However, once the storm system reached the warm waters of the Mozambique Channel, the tropical depression reorganized and built up enough strength to become a tropical cyclone. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite observed Tropical Cyclone Boloetse in the Mozambique Channel on February 3, 2006, at 11:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. local time). At that time, the cyclone was beginning a south and eastward track, and it was predicted to strike a glancing blow along the southwestern corner of Madagascar as it moved back out into the Indian Ocean. The cyclone had sustained winds of around 165 kilometers per hour (105 miles per hour), classifying it as a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Storms of this strength typically cause moderate damage to coastal areas with storm surges around 1.5 to 2 meters (4 to 7 feet). Winds are sufficient to damage temporary structures such as trailers and sheds, and remove roofs from some permanent buildings. The large version of the image has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Other resolutions are also available from the MODIS Rapid Response website. NASA image created by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Tropical Cyclone Carina
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Carina |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Carina appears as a tightly wound spiral in the Indian Ocean in this satellite view of the storm, obtained by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite on February 27, 2006. Carina had become an organized storm system four days earlier, and built rapidly into a powerful cyclone. By the time MODIS obtained this observation of Carina, peak winds were blowing at 175 kilometers per hour (110 miles per hour). However, the tropical cyclone was moving into the southern Indian Ocean well away from the nearest land, even the very remote Cocos Islands several hundred kilometers east. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Cilla
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Cilla |
| Description |
This true-color image from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft shows Tropical Cyclone Cilla located approximately 333 miles east of Suva, Fiji. Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph and Cilla is expected to slowly transition to an extratropical system as it moves to the south. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeffrey Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Cilla
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Cilla |
| Description |
This true-color image from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft shows Tropical Cyclone Cilla located approximately 333 miles east of Suva, Fiji. Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph and Cilla is expected to slowly transition to an extratropical system as it moves to the south. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeffrey Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Clare
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Clare |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Clare is a moderately strong storm system in the Indian Ocean off the Australian coast. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite observed the cyclone at 06:05 UTC (2:05 p.m. local time) on January 9, 2006, it was a well-developed system with peak sustained winds of around 100 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour). The cyclone (the local term for a hurricane or typhoon) was about 200 kilometers offshore from Port Hedland in Western Australia, the nearest major city. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Craig Hits
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| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Craig Hits Northern Territory |
| Description |
Off the north coast of Australia, Tropical Cyclone Craig was poised to cross over from the Timor Sea (left) to the Gulf of Carpentaria (right) in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite on March 11, 2003. The center of the storm is located roughly in image center, on the northern tip of Northern Territory. Craig was expected to generally weaken as it moved eastward, but could briefly intensify over the waters of the Gulf before making landfall again on the Cape York Peninsula. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Ebula
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Ebula |
| Description |
Packing sustained winds of 75 miles (120 km) per hour, with gusts of up to 92 miles (147 km) per hour, Tropical Cyclone Ebula was moving south-southwestward in the Indian Ocean on January 10, 2003. Ebula is expected to track to the south over the next 24 hours. This true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Ebula was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. Image courtesy Jeffrey Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Emma
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Emma |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Emma formed as a low-intensity storm system and built to cyclone strength only briefly. But Emma's brief cyclone status belied its size and rainfall. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) instrument on the Aqua observed the storm system as it was losing strength, and hence its tropical cyclone status, on February 28, 2006, at 5:55 UTC (1:55 p.m. local time). At this time, the cyclone had peak winds of roughly 55 kilometers per hour (35 miles per hour). As the image shows, the storm system covered an enormous area, extending over almost the entire extent of Western Australia. With it came heavy rain and substantial flooding to the Pilbara Region, the northwestern corner of Western Australia, where the storm system came ashore. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Erica (22P)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Erica (22P) |
| Description |
With sustained winds near 64 km per hour (40 mph), Tropical Cyclone Erica (22P) is located approximately 621 miles east-southeast of Cairns, Australia and is moving towards the north-northeast at 15 km per hour (9 mph) This true-color image of the storm was acquired on March 5, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 1000 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Erica (22P)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Erica (22P) |
| Description |
With sustained winds near 64 km per hour (40 mph), Tropical Cyclone Erica (22P) is located approximately 632 miles east-southeast of Cairns, Australia and is moving towards the southeast at 22 km per hour (14 mph) This true-color image of the storm was acquired on March 4, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 1000 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Erica (22P)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Erica (22P) |
| Description |
East of Australia in the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Cyclone Erica plowed into the French island of New Caledonia on March 13, 2003, leaving at least one person dead and many others injured. Erica peaked as a Category 5 cyclone on March 12, and as of March 14 had showed rapid weakening to a Category 1 storm. This image of Erica shows the storm's eye northwest of New Caledonia on March 13. The high-resolution image provided above is 1 kilometer per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Eseta off F
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| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Eseta off Fiji |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Eseta is sprawled across 1,700 kilometers of the southwestern Pacific Ocean in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite on March 12, 2003. The eastern edge of the storm is draped across the island of Fiji. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Eseta off F
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| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Eseta off Fiji |
| Description |
Topical Cyclone Eseta blew past Fiji on March 13, 2003, and was rapidly weakening on March 14, as it moved toward the South Pole. This true-color image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite shows Eseta southeast of Fiji (upper left) on March 13, 2003. The high-resolution image provided above is 1 kilometer per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Fari
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fari |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fari, located approximately 200 miles east of Antananarivo, Madagascar, is moving to the southwest at 12 mph. Packing maximum sustained winds of 46 mph with gusts to 58 mph, Fari is expected to briefly intensify and then quickly weaken as its center moves closer to land. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeffrey Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Favio
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Favio |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Favio formed in the western Indian Ocean about 1,200 kilometers from Madagascar on February 14, 2007. It gradually moved southwest, passing well offshore of Reunion and Mauritius Islands. By February 20, it was just off the southern shore of Madagascar as a well-formed, mature storm. While the storm system had largely skirted around populated areas to that point, forecasters were concerned about its behavior as it entered the warmer waters of the Mozambique Channel. The storm was forecast to reach Category Four [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] strength before coming ashore and tracking inland through Zimbabwe and Zambia, bringing heavy rains to already flooded areas. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14115 ] This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 20, 2007, at 2:15 p.m. local time (11:15 UTC). The storm was turning north around the southern end of Madagscar, headed for the Mozambique Channel. Favio had the recognizable shape of a southern-hemisphere tropical cyclone, with spiral arms showing its clockwise rotation. The spiral arms are well-defined and tightly wound. A distinct eye at the center of the storm is only partially filled with clouds (a "partially closed" eye). These are all signs of a well-developed and powerful storm, consistent with the cyclone's strength. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http:/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3 www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Favio had steady winds of around 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) around the time MODIS made this observation. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Favio KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Feb2007/Favio.A2007051.1115.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Favio
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Favio |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Favio came ashore on the coast of Mozambique on the morning of February 22, 2007. At the time it crossed the shoreline, Favio had lost some strength from its peak the previous day, but still had extremely powerful winds. The cyclone continued to weaken as it passed over land, becoming a tropical depression. As of 8:00 a.m. local time (0600 UTC), winds were down to 60 kilometers per hour (38 miles per hour), according to the South African Weather Service. [ http://www.weathersa.co.za/ ] This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 23, 2007, at 1:45 p.m. local time (11:45 UTC), as the tropical depression was crossing into Zimbabwe. The storm still has a distinct balled-up form left over from its cyclone state the previous day, but once over land, the strong circular eye and powerful eyewall storms typical of a cylone were gone. As it traveled farther inland towards the Zambezi River valley, the storm brought heavy rains to Zimbabwe. This region had already suffered from heavy rains associated with the onset of the monsoon, and severe flooding along the Zambezi River [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14115 ] in mid-February killed dozens of people and forced more than a hundred thousand people to evacuate, according to reports [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-6YMDSC?OpenDocument ] from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies posted online by ReliefWeb. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc100?OpenForm ] There had been widespread additional evacuations ahead of Cyclone Favio's arrival. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Favio KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Feb2007/favio_amo_2007054.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Fay churning in the Pacific waters between Australia and Indonesia. At the time this image was captured, Fay was located approximately 175 miles northwest of Kuri Bay and had winds gusting to 150 mph. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Fay continues to skate down the Western Australia coast. The storm has intensified over the past twenty-four hours, and is now expected to move ashore early Saturday morning. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology [ http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDW60281.shtml ] has ranked Fay a Category 4 storm, a category reserved for storms with maximum wind gusts ranging between 225 and 279 kilometers per hour (140 and 173 miles per hour). The Bureau expects to see wind gusts up to 235 kilometers per hour when Fay moves ashore. At the time this image was taken, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metoc.npmoc.navy.mil//jtwc.html ] warned that Fay had winds of 167 kilometers per hour (103 mph) with gusts to 203 kilometers per hour (127 mph). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite captured this image of Fay on March 26, 2004, at 5:55 UTC, 1:55 pm in Western Australia. The high-resolution image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004086-0326/Fay.A2004086.0555 ], including MODIS? maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Frank (10S)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Frank (10S) |
| Description |
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of Tropical Cyclone Frank (10S) spinning through the South Indian Ocean on February 2, 2004. At that time, Frank had winds of 144 miles per hour (232 kilometers per hour) with gusts up to 173 miles per hour (278 km/h). The storm was moving southeast, and posed no threat to land. The high-resolution image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions, including MODIS? maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Gamede
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gamede |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Gamede was in the western Indian Ocean off the shore of Madagascar on February 26, 2007. This powerful storm had been moving southward parallel to the eastern coast of Madagascar for two days at this time, bringing heavy rains and strong surf to Madagascar and the two major Mascarene Islands, Reunion and Mauritius. The storm seemed to be staying away from settled areas, but reports from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] and U.K. Accuweather [ http://ukie.accuweather.com/ ] noted strong surf on the coast and island shorelines, as well as heavy rain. This same area was brushed by Cyclone Favio [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14136 ] just days before, and it suffered a series of severe storms and cyclones in preceding months. Unlike Favio, Gamede was predicted to continue on its generally southward track and not turn towards mainland Africa. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 26, 2007, at 11:50 a.m. local time (9:50 UTC). The storm was a mature and powerful tropical cyclone, with a well-defined eye at its center and far-reaching, tightly wound spiral arms. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Cylone Gamede has sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (110 miles per hour) around the eyewall at the time this image was acquired. Forecasts at the time called for the storm to avoid landfall, but to continue its grazing path between the Mascarene Islands and Madagascar, with winds continuing to intensify as the storm traveled south over warm waters. NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Gamede
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gamede |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Gamede was sitting in the western Indian Ocean off the shore of Madagascar on February 25, 2007. This powerful storm had been bringing heavy rains and strong surf to eastern Madagascar and the two major Mascarene Islands of Reunion and Mauritius. No settled land areas were experiencing the full brunt of of the sustained winds in the eyewall of the storm (reported at 195 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ]) but damaging winds of 60 to 100 km/hr were recorded on the islands. One rainfall gauge measured totals as high as 47 centimeters over the three days Gamede was in the area, according to U.K. Accuweather. [ http://ukie.accuweather.com/ ] This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 25, 2007, at 11:50 a.m. local time (9:50 UTC), as the storm sat in the region between the small islands and Madagascar. At that time, it appeared the storm would head roughly south, bringing more winds and rain to the Mascarene Islands but not coming ashore onto Madagascar. Since the island had been pummeled by a series of tropical cyclones and storms in preceding months, Gamede was being watched with great care and concern by residents of the islands. The image provided above is at 1 kilometer resolution, less than the full level of detail possible from the MODIS instrument. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007056-0225/ ] Their image collection also includes the distant, but neighboring Cyclone Humba in the central Indian Ocean. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone George
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone George |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone George came ashore on the remote Pilbara coast of Western Australia on the evening of March 8, 2007, as a very powerful Category 4 storm, [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] with wind speeds as high as 275 kilometers per hour (170 miles per hour). According to the online version of the Sydney Morning Herald, the storm was responsible for at least two deaths [ http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/cyclone-george-kills-two-jacob-advances/2007/03/09/1173166991751.html ] and many serious injuries as of March 10. This photo-like image of George was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on March 9, 2007, at 1:25 p.m. local time (05:25 UTC). The storm was still a strong tropical cyclone with a circular shape and distinct eye at its center, despite the fact that the storm had been traveling over land for nearly a day when the image was captured. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Cyclone George had sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour) near the time this image was acquired. George was the worst storm to hit the area in 30 years, and the government declared the region a disaster area. Rescue and recovery efforts were expected to be complicated by the arrival of Cyclone Jacob. As a Category 2 storm, Jacob was smaller and weaker, and it was not expected to wreak the same kind of destruction as George. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone George KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Mar2007/george_amo_2007068.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.gov/ ] team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Gina
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gina |
| Description |
On June 8, 2003, the MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this bird's-eye view of Tropical Cyclone Gina as it was located approximately 449 miles (718 km) northwest of Noumea, New Caledonia. Gina is slowly drifting to the south-southwest at 4 mph with sustained winds of 104 mph with higher gusts to 121 mph. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Glenda
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Glenda |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Glenda formed off the northwestern coast of Australia on March 27, 2006. The storm quickly built into a powerful and well-defined cyclone during the next day. Powerful winds have whipped up surf along the coastline of Western Australia's Pilbara region, and the storm has brought heavy rains to the islands off the Kimberly coast. As of March 30, 2006, the storm had lost some power and was ranked as a powerful Category 4 storm, after having peaked the previous day. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on March 30, 2006, at 2:10 p.m. local time (06:10 UTC). It shows Cyclone Glenda as a well-developed storm, sitting just off the coastline about 300 kilometers (185 miles) from Port Hedland. Clouds from the storm covered most of the northwest coastline of Western Australia. Sustained, peak winds in the storm system were roughly 195 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour) at this time. The storm's spiraling clouds appear as a nearly solid white disk, and the faint bluish eye is poised just off the coastline. Observations as of 8:00 p.m. Australian Western Standard Time on March 30 were that the storm was crossing the coast near Onslow. The town was bearing the brunt of the worst winds near the cyclone's center. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology predicted that wind speeds could gust as high as 235 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour) as the storm continued to come ashore. Residents in coastal communities who were not yet evacuated were directed to stay put, as the severe winds would make attempting to move extremely dangerous. Australian news services are comparing Glenda to the famous and destructive cyclones Larry and Tracy. Larry struck the Queensland coast just two weeks before Glenda, while Tracy remains imprinted on Australia's memory as the storm that flattened Darwin on Christmas Eve 1974. Glenda is large and more powerful than either of these storms, but striking in a much more sparsely populated area. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gonu |
| Description |
MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center., You might expect to see a storm with near-perfect symmetry and a well-defined eye hovering over the warm waters of the Caribbean or in the South Pacific, but Tropical Cyclone Gonu showed up in an unusual place. On June 4, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image, Tropical Cyclone Gonu was approaching the northeastern shore of Oman, a region better known for hot desert conditions. Though rare, cyclones like Gonu are not unheard of in the northern Indian Ocean basin. Most cyclones that form in the region form over the Bay of Bengal, east of India. Those that take shape over the Arabian Sea, west of the Indian peninsula, tend to be small and fizzle out before coming ashore. Cyclone Gonu is a rare exception. As of June 4, 2007, the powerful storm had reached a dangerous Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] status, and it was forecast to graze Oman's northeastern shore, following the Gulf of Oman. According to storm statistics maintained on Unisys Weather, [ http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/ ] the last storm of this size to form over the Arabian Sea was Cyclone 01A, which tracked northwest along the coast of India between May 21 and May 28, 2001. Unlike Gonu's forecasted track, Cyclone 01A's path never brought it ashore. MODIS acquired this photo-like image at 12:00 p.m. local time (9:00 UTC), a few hours after the Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] estimated Gonu's sustained winds to be over 240 kilometers per hour (145 miles per hour). The satellite image confirms that Gonu was a super-powerful cyclone. The storm has the hallmark tightly wound arms that spiral around a well-defined, circular eye. The eye is surrounded by a clear wall of towering clouds that cast shadows on the surrounding clouds. Called hot towers, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17662 ] these clouds are a sign of the powerful uplift that feeds the storm. The symmetrical spirals, clear eye, and towering clouds are all features regularly seen in satellite images of other particularly powerful cyclones, which are also known as typhoons or hurricanes when they form in other parts of the world. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007155-0604/Gonu.A2007155.0900 ] You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Gonu KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/Gonu.A2007155.0900.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, |
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu |
| Description |
A cyclonic storm like Tropical Cyclone Gonu might not seem an odd sight until you consider that Gonu is heading northwest into the Gulf of Oman. The most recent storm of this magnitude to hit the Sultanate of Oman was in 1977, according to AlJazerra.net (English language). [ http://english.aljazeera.net/English/ ] Given the rarity of these storms in the area, many shore facilities were never constructed to deal with the severe winds, strong rains, and high storm surge. At 10:15 a.m. local time (07:15 UTC) on June 6, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image, Tropical Cyclone Gonu was grazing the gulf shore of Oman. At this time, the powerful storm had lost considerable power and was considered a Category 1 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] cyclone. Sustained winds were measured at 140 kilometers per hour (85 miles per hour) according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] The satellite image shows Gonu bringing rain to both Oman and Iran even as the storm center remains offshore in the Gulf of Oman. Hemmed in by hot desert lands and mountains on both sides of the Gulf, Gonu was predicted to continue to move up the Gulf and lose power before making landfall in southeastern Iran. Because such storms are virtually unheard of in this part of the world, authorities treated the storm with considerable caution: government offices in Oman and most private businesses declared a holiday from June 5 until June 9. They recommended people stay in their homes as much as possible and stock basic supplies and emergency needs, according to Middle East Online. [ http://www.middle-east-online.com ] Residents in low-lying coastal areas in southeastern Iran were also being evacuated, while the fishing fleet in neighboring Pakistan was ordered to stay in as waves battered the shores. Gonu, however, did not appear poised to reach the Straits of Hormuz, and oil shipping from the Persian Gulf had not been significantly disrupted as of June 6, according to a number of news services. NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gonu |
| Description |
A cyclonic storm like Tropical Cyclone Gonu might not seem an odd sight until you consider that Gonu occurred in the Gulf of Oman and made landfall in Iran, a nation not known for cyclones. The most recent storm of Gonu's magnitude hit the neighboring Sultanate of Oman was in 1977, according to the news service AlJazerra.net [ http://english.aljazeera.net/English/ ] (English language).Given the rarity of these storms in the area, many shore facilities were never constructed to deal with the severe winds, strong rains, and high storm surge. At 12:55 p.m. local time (09:55 UTC) on June 7, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image, Tropical Cyclone Gonu was crossing the Gulf of Oman and heading northward towards the Iranian coast. By this time, the powerful storm had lost considerable power and was considered a mere powerful tropical storm. Sustained winds were measured at 60 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] The satellite image shows Gonu bringing rain to both Oman and Iran as it heads north to the Iranian coastline. Because such storms are virtually unheard of in this part of the world, authorities have treated the storm with considerable caution: government offices in Oman and most private businesses declared a holiday from June 5 until June 9. They recommended people stay in their homes as much as possible and stock basic supplies and emergency needs, according to Middle East Online. [ http://www.middle-east-online.com ] Residents in low-lying coastal areas in southeastern Iran were also being evacuated, while the fishing fleet in neighboring Pakistan was ordered to stay in as waves battered the shores. Gonu, however, did not appear poised to reach the Straits of Hormuz, and oil shipping from the Persian Gulf had not been significantly disrupted as of June 6, according to a number of news services. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Gonu KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/gonu_amo_2007158.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Grace
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Tropical Cyclone Grace |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft captured this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Grace 500 miles east of Mackay and moving to the southeast. According to the Brisbane Weather Bureau, Graces's low pressure was acting alongside a high pressure system over Tasmania resulting in a steep pressure gradient causing gale force winds and high seas along the Queensland coast. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Harriet (21
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Tropical Cyclone Harriet (21S) |
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With sustained winds near 64 km per hour (40 mph), Tropical Cyclone Harriet (21S) is located approximately 483 miles north of Learmonth, Australia and is moving towards the east at 11 km per hour (7 mph) This true-color image of the storm was acquired on March 4, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 1000 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Harriet (21
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Tropical Cyclone Harriet (21S) |
| Description |
With sustained winds near 64 km per hour (40 mph), Tropical Cyclone Harriet (21S) is located approximately 483 miles north of Learmonth, Australia and is moving towards the east at 11 km per hour (7 mph) This true-color image of the storm was acquired on March 4, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 1000 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Heta
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Tropical Cyclone Heta |
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Cyclone Heta approaches the island of Niue in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image taken by the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on January 6, 2004, at 1:00 UTC. The storm blew through Samoa, seen in the top center, on January 5 with 105 mile-per-hour winds, which blew down trees and knocked out communications and power. The storm intensified as it moved southeast toward Niue. At the time this image was taken, Heta?s winds reached a powerful 150 miles per hour with gusts up to 184 miles per hour. The high resolution image provided above is at 500 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004006-0106/Heta.A2004006.0100 ], including MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Hubert
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Tropical Cyclone Hubert |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Hubert formed off the northwestern coast of Australia on April 5, 2006. Cyclones form in this area from December through April each year. In April, the start of the Asian Monsoon season gradually shifts storm activity northward to bring the cyclone season to a close. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology had been predicting an average season for cyclones in 2006, with about five named storms of which two might come ashore. With the formation of Hubert, the season became slightly more active than predicted. Unlike Cyclone Glenda, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13457 ] which preceded it by a few days, however, Hubert was not a powerful system and was not predicted to develop much before coming ashore. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on April 6, 2006, at 2:15 p.m. local time (06:15 UTC). Cyclone Hubert at this time had a basic spiral form, but lacked the well-developed eye and tight-wound shape of a powerful storm. Sustained, peak winds in the storm system were roughly 100 kilometers per hour (65 miles per hour) around the time the image was captured. The high-resolution image provided above is provided at the full MODIS spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System also provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery?2006096-0406/Hubert.A2006096.0615 ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Inigo
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Tropical Cyclone Inigo |
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Packing sustained winds of 212 km/hr (132 mph), Tropical Cyclone Inigo is tracking to the west-southwest at 9 km/hr (6 mph). Inigo is expected to intensify over the next 12 hours and then hold intensity through the next 48 hours. This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image of Inigo was acquired by the Aqua satellite on April 2, 2003. The high-resolution image provided above is 1000 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S
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Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S) |
| Description |
With sustained winds near 112 km per hour (70 mph), Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S) is thriving in the warm waters between Madagascar and Mozambique. This true-color image of the storm was acquired on February 27, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 500 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S
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Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S) |
| Description |
With sustained winds near 156 km per hour (98 mph), Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S) is bearing down on the Mozambique coast. This true-color image of the storm was acquired on March 2, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 1000 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S
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Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S) |
| Description |
With sustained winds near 101 km per hour (63 mph), Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S) has moved inland over Mozambique. This true-color image of the storm was acquired on March 3, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 1000 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Jaya
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Tropical Cyclone Jaya |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Jaya came ashore in northern Madagascar in the morning of April 2, 2007 at around 11:00 a.m. local time (08:00 UTC). The storm formed in the Indian Ocean on March 30 and traveled westward toward Madagascar as predicted. What was not predicted, however, was its explosive growth in power from a strong tropical storm to a powerful Category 3 cyclone [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] in just 36 hours, according to figures provided by the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html ]Fortunately, the intensification took place while Jaya was still far from Madagascar. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on April 3, 2007, at 1:15 p.m. local time (10:15 UTC). The storm was a tropical cyclone with a circular shape, but no distinct eye at its center. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Cyclone Jaya's sustained winds had fallen in strength to roughly 125 kilometers per hour (80 mph) at the time this image was acquired. When the storm made landfall on Madagascar, sustained winds were around 150 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour), a marked change from 200 km/hr (125 mph) just twelve hours earlier. While much weakened, Jaya remained a powerful storm. Furthermore, it struck the northern part of Madagascar where a series of other cyclones have also come ashore in recent months. Forecasters were concerned that Jaya might reform after crossing the island and head inland into Mozambique, where residents are recovering from floods caused by recent heavy rains. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007093-0403/Jaya.A2007093.1015 ] You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Jaya KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Apr2007/Jaya.A2007093.1015.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Kalunde
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Tropical Cyclone Kalunde |
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With sustained winds near 64 km per hour (40 mph), Tropical Cyclone Kalunde is located approximately 449 miles southeast of Diego Garcia and is moving towards the west-northwest at 7 km per hour (5 mph) This true-color image of the storm was acquired on March 5, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 1000 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Kalunde
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Tropical Cyclone Kalunde |
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With sustained winds near 140 km per hour (87 mph), Tropical Cyclone Kalunde was situated well south and east of Diego Garcia in the center of the Indian Ocean. However, the latest forecasts suggest Kalunde will soon veer increasingly southward toward oblivion in the colder latitudes of the southern Indian Ocean. This true-color image of the storm was acquired on March 10, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 500 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS' full resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Kate
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Tropical Cyclone Kate |
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Tropical Cyclone Kate swirls in the Torres Strait between Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea in this satellite view of the storm, obtained by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite on February 23, 2006. Kate was the second tropical cyclone in 2006 to form off the coast of Queensland. It was not a particularly powerful system when MODIS obtained this view, with peak winds around 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour). However, because it was located so far offshore, there was little observed data from ground stations and radar instruments, which was making predictions of the storm's path and future intensity a challenge, according to the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Kujira
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Tropical Cyclone Kujira |
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*Tropical Cyclone Kujira* Tropical Cyclone Kujira whirls over the northwestern Pacific Ocean toward the Phillipines in this true-color Aqua MODIS image acquired March 14, 2003. Kujira was packing 110 knot winds (1 knot = 1.15 mph) at the time this image was acquired with gusts up to 135 knots. Over the next two days, Kujira is expected to strengthen to 125 knot sustained winds (150 knot gusts), making it into a category 4 cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm was moving west-northwest so rapidly that it was almost out of the scene at the time this image was acquired. The high-resolution image provided above is 1000 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. |
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Tropical Cyclone Kujira
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Tropical Cyclone Kujira |
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This true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Kujira was acquired on April 15, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The high-resolution image provided above is 1000 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Larry
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Tropical Cyclone Larry |
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Tropical Cyclone Larry formed off the northeastern coast of Australia on March 18, 2006. The cyclone gained power rapidly and came ashore on Queensland's eastern coastline, where it hammered beaches with heavy surf, tore roofs off buildings, and perhaps most destructively, flattened trees in banana plantations over a wide area. The Melbourne Age reported estimates that as much as 80 percent of the Australian banana crop has been destroyed. Since many trees have been uprooted, it may be many years before the banana industry recovers. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite observed the storm at 3:05 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time (04:05 UTC) on March 21, 2006, Larry had been downgraded to a tropical depression several hours before, and wind speeds had dropped to below 60 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour). But while Larry's winds had dropped down to much less destructive levels, the storm system was still bringing significant rainfall in the upper reaches of the Darling River basin, and it retained the classical spiral form of a tropical storm even as it continued to become less organized. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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