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Rare South Atlantic Tropical
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| Title |
Rare South Atlantic Tropical Cyclone |
| Description |
During its daytime overpass of the southeast coast of Brazil on March 26, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this surprising sight: a tropical cyclone. The South Atlantic is generally not thought of by meteorologists as a place where tropical cyclones can form. The water temperatures are generally too cool and the vertical wind shear too strong. The area is so devoid of tropical storm activity that no government agency has an official warning system for storms there, which is why this storm is unnamed. In this image, the storm is at roughly 28 degrees South Latitude, southeast of the city of Curitaba, which makes a tan splotch against the green vegetation at the top of the image, left of center. According to Dr. Greg Holland, a meteorological researcher currently with Radiosonde North America, it's unlikely—though not impossible—that the storm will make landfall in Brazil given the strong westerly winds that are typical of the region's weather patterns. "There have been reports in the past of storms with tropical characteristics in that region," he says, "so I would be very amazed if this is truly the first cyclone ever. However, it is the first time we have ever had such solid observations of a tropical storm there." According to Holland, wind speed observations from QuickSat on March 26 showed maximum surface winds of about 50 knots, but the satellite wasn't positioned to observe the part of the eye where the highest wind speeds would be expected. So it is possible that the storm is near the 65-knot-wind-threshold for being a Category 1 hurricane. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Rare South Atlantic Tropical
…
| Title |
Rare South Atlantic Tropical Cyclone |
| Description |
During its daytime overpass of the southeast coast of Brazil on March 26, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this surprising sight: a tropical cyclone. The South Atlantic is generally not thought of by meteorologists as a place where tropical cyclones can form. The water temperatures are generally too cool and the vertical wind shear too strong. The area is so devoid of tropical storm activity that no government agency has an official warning system for storms there, which is why this storm is unnamed. In this image, the storm is at roughly 28 degrees South Latitude, southeast of the city of Curitaba, which makes a tan splotch against the green vegetation at the top of the image, left of center. According to Dr. Greg Holland, a meteorological researcher currently with Radiosonde North America, it's unlikely—though not impossible—that the storm will make landfall in Brazil given the strong westerly winds that are typical of the region's weather patterns. "There have been reports in the past of storms with tropical characteristics in that region," he says, "so I would be very amazed if this is truly the first cyclone ever. However, it is the first time we have ever had such solid observations of a tropical storm there." According to Holland, wind speed observations from QuickSat on March 26 showed maximum surface winds of about 50 knots, but the satellite wasn't positioned to observe the part of the eye where the highest wind speeds would be expected. So it is possible that the storm is near the 65-knot-wind-threshold for being a Category 1 hurricane. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone 01A
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 01A |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone 01A swirling in the Arabia Sea. The center of the storm was close to 250 km south of Veraval and was moving north towards the southern coast of Gujarat state with winds of 60-80 km/hr. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory, based on data from the MODIS 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 14, 2003, the MODIS instrument onboard the NASA's Terra satellite captured this bird's-eye view of Tropical Cyclone 01B in the Bay of Bengal. This satellite image reveals that the low-level circulation is fully exposed to the east of the deep convection (dense cloud). 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 03B
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 03B |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone 03B raked across southeast India?s Andhra Pradesh state early on December 16, 2003. The storm brought 75 mile per hour winds, heavy rain, and cool temperatures, forcing nearly 20,000 people to flee their homes. As of December 17, officials had reported nine cyclone-related deaths, but media reports gave much higher figures. The storm destroyed homes, uprooted trees, and devastated crops. This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image shows the storm as it approaches the Indian coastline on December 15, 2003. The cyclone was the first to hit the state in 18 years. 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/?2003349-1215/TropicalCyclone03B.A2003349.0520 ], 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 03B
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 03B |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone 03B raked across southeast India?s Andhra Pradesh state early on December 16, 2003. The storm brought 75 mile per hour winds, heavy rain, and cool temperatures, forcing nearly 20,000 people to flee their homes. As of December 17, officials had reported nine cyclone-related deaths, but media reports gave much higher figures. The storm destroyed homes, uprooted trees, and devastated crops. This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image shows the storm as it approaches the Indian coastline on December 15, 2003. The cyclone was the first to hit the state in 18 years. 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/?2003349-1215/TropicalCyclone03B.A2003349.0520 ], 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 03B
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 03B |
| Description |
Cyclonic storms in the Arabian Sea are rare, but not unheard of. Two tropical cyclones in the space of a month, on the other hand, is quite rare indeed. Unlike its predecessor, Tropical Cyclone Gonu, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14295 ] Cyclone 03B originated on the opposite side of the Indian Peninsula in the Bay of Bengal. At 11:10 a.m. local time (06:10 UTC) on June 25, 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 03B was reforming in the Arabian Sea south of the Pakistan coast after having crossed over India. The storm system has a discernible spiraling shape, but does not appear well-formed in this image. The storm has no distinct eye, suggesting that it was not particularly well organized. At the time, 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 storm flooded India's Andhra Pradesh province, resulting in 45 deaths, according to Weather Underground. [ http://www.wunderground.com/ ] It also caused flooding and wind damage in Karachi, Pakistan, where the death toll was around 200, according to BBC News. [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/ ] After crossing land, the storm reached the Arabian Sea and began to reform. As of June 26, forecasts were calling for the storm to gain some organization and power, skirt the Pakistan coast, and make landfall again somewhere near the border between Iran and Pakistan. Storm surge from Cyclone 03B was predicted to be moderately high, even though the storm was not strong, since the offshore waters are shallow, similar to the northern Gulf of Mexico. Because these kinds of storms are rare in the area, coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to storm surge damage. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone 03B KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/ cyc03b_tmo_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 04B-05
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 04B-05 |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone 04B-05 had come ashore over the Indian Peninsula when it was observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite at 10:30 a.m. local time on October 28, 2005. At that time, Tropical Cyclone 04B-05 had sustained tropical-storm wind speeds of 55 kilometers per hour (35 miles per hour). Although not hurricane strength, the winds caused considerable damage. Five days of sustained rain associated with the tropical storm system are responsible for some 100 deaths in India, as well as the destruction of many homes and large areas of agricultural land. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the Goddard Earth Sciences Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC). |
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Tropical Cyclone 08S
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 08S |
| Description |
Packing sustained winds of 64 km (40 miles) per hour, and gusts of up to 85 km (53 miles) per hour, Tropical Cyclone 08S formed today in the Mozambique Channel and is moving westward directly toward Mozambique?s east coast. The storm is predicted to intensify before it makes landfall early on Jan. 1, 2003 (local time). This true-color image of Cyclone 08S was acquired on Dec. 31, 2002, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), aboard the Terra 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 10s (Dina)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina) |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Dina skirted the islands of Mauritius and Reunion to the north and west while continuing its trek over the southern Indian Ocean. Dina passed close enough to the islands to unleash damaging winds and soaking rains. On the southeast side of Mauritius, the main airport recorded peak wind gusts of 90-95 mph, and rainfall greater than 4.7 inches. Higher winds and heavier downpours likely lashed Port Louis on the storm-ward side of the island. Meanwhile, sustained winds reached 60 mph at Saint Denis, Reunion, with top wind gusts exceeding 75 mph. Early Wednesday (Jan 23) the storm was located about 500 miles to the east-northeast of Ft. Dauphin, Madagascar and had maximum sustained winds near 135 mph, with gusts approaching 160 mph. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina) |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Dina skirted the islands of Mauritius and Reunion to the north and west while continuing its trek over the southern Indian Ocean. Dina passed close enough to the islands to unleash damaging winds and soaking rains. On the southeast side of Mauritius, the main airport recorded peak wind gusts of 90-95 mph, and rainfall greater than 4.7 inches. Higher winds and heavier downpours likely lashed Port Louis on the storm-ward side of the island. Meanwhile, sustained winds reached 60 mph at Saint Denis, Reunion, with top wind gusts exceeding 75 mph. Early Wednesday (Jan 23) the storm was located about 500 miles to the east-northeast of Ft. Dauphin, Madagascar and had maximum sustained winds near 135 mph, with gusts approaching 160 mph. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina) |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone 10S (Dina) northeast of Mauritius and Reunion Islands, Indian Ocean. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina) |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone 10S (Dina) northeast of Mauritius and Reunion Islands, Indian Ocean. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina) |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Dina is buffeting the islands of Mauritius (obscured by cloud) and Reunion (to the southwest) in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Madagascar (far left). This true-color MODIS image was made from data acquired on January 21, 2002, at roughly 11:00 am local time. Dina is a powerful storm, with maximum sustained winds of over 138 miles per hour with gusts up to 167 mph as of Tuesday, January 22. Wind gusts are predicted to increase to over 195 mph, and the seas around the islands are roiling, with waves as high as 40 ft. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina) |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Dina is buffeting the islands of Mauritius (obscured by cloud) and Reunion (to the southwest) in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Madagascar (far left). This true-color MODIS image was made from data acquired on January 21, 2002, at roughly 11:00 am local time. Dina is a powerful storm, with maximum sustained winds of over 138 miles per hour with gusts up to 167 mph as of Tuesday, January 22. Wind gusts are predicted to increase to over 195 mph, and the seas around the islands are roiling, with waves as high as 40 ft. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Ami
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Ami |
| Description |
With sustained winds of 104 mph (166 km/hr), Tropical Cyclone Ami has tracked southward at 14 mph (22 km/hr) and is now located approximately 98 miles (157 km) northeast of Suva, Fiji. The system is still expected to begin undergoing extratropical transition in the 12 to 24 hour time period as it interacts with a developing mid-latitude low near New Zealand. This true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Ami was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra satellite. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Baaz Approa
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| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Baaz Approaches India |
| Description |
On November 29, 2005, a tropical cyclone brewed in the Bay of Bengal off the southern coast of India near the island of Sri Lanka. This image of the organizing storm, called Baaz, was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Tuesday, November 29, at 5:05 UTC (10:35 a.m. local time). The storm does not have the classical cyclone shape in the image, but some arcing bands of clouds are beginning to take shape to the northeast of the storm's core, and several areas of "boiling" clouds suggest intense thunderstorm activity. As of the early afternoon of November 30, the storm had slowed in its west-northwest progress toward land, and forecasters at the Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center were predicting that the storm would be arriving at the coast of India within 48 hours. According to news reports, thousands of people were evacuating the low-lying coastal states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in southern India, areas which were affected by the December 2004 tsunami as well as by flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13263 ] in recent weeks. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ]Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Tropical Cyclone Bento
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Bento |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument flying aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Bento on November 22, 2004 at 05:20 UTC. At the time this image was taken, Bento was located approximately 380 miles east-southeast of Diego Garcia and was moving towards the southwest at 5 mph. Maximum sustained winds were near 75 mph with gusts to 92 mph. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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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 |
Cyclone Boloetse was striking Madagascar for the second time when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this photo-like image on February 4, 2006, at 07:20 UTC (10:20 a.m. local time). At this time, 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. Tropical Cyclone Boloetse first 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. When 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. Next, the storm reversed direction and headed southeast, taking it across Madagascar once again. It gave a glancing blow over the island's southern tip on February 4, 2006. 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 Bondo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Bondo |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Bondo spent the days before Christmas in the Seychelles north of Madagascar, whipping those islands with powerful Category 2-strength [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] winds. The storm then turned south and grazed along the northwestern coast Madagascar on December 24, while building strength to Category 4, according to the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. [ http://www.gdacs.org/ ] The cyclone then came ashore at the north end of Madagascar on December 25, where more than 4.5 million people lived within 200 kilometers of the storm. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on December 25, 2006, at 9:55 a.m. local time (6:55 UTC), while the storm's center was coming ashore. Bondo had well-defined spiral arms of rain clouds and thunderstorms at the time of this image, and a distinct, cloud-filled (or "closed") eye at its center. It was not as strong a storm as it had been the previous day, however, as coming ashore robbed it of the source of its power—the warm waters of the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and mainland Africa. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] peak winds had fallen to around 110 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour), still quite potentially destructive. NASA image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, 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 Bondo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Bondo |
| Description |
The Seychelles are a chain of islands stretching out north of Madagascar off the eastern coast of Africa. On December 20, 2006, these islands were on alert for the very intense tropical cyclone Bondo, which was predicted to strike the islands in the early hours of the next day. Cyclone Bondo was a Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds as high as 222 kilometers per hour (138 miles per hour), according to the Reuters news service. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on December 20, 2006, at 9:35 a.m. local time (6:35 UTC), while the storm's center was drawing in towards the Seychelles. The island of Madagascar appears to the southwest of the storm (lower-left corner), where the outer rain bands from the storm were coming ashore. Bondo had well-defined, spiral arms of rainclouds and thunderstorms at the time of this image, and a strong and distinct, cloud-filled (or "closed") eye at its center. 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/?2006354-1220/Bondo.A2006354.0635 ] You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Bondo KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Dec2006/Bondo.A2006354.0635.250m.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 Clare
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Clare |
| Description |
Residents of Western Australia's Pilbara Coast are accustomed to tropical storms, the Pilbara Coast sees more cyclones than any other part of the Australian coastline. Still, Tropical Cyclone Clare strained some nerves in early January 2006. Although the storm was downgraded from a Category 3 to a Category 2, it prompted hundreds of residents to evacuate the area, and downed some power and telephone lines. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite took this image of Clare at 10:30 a.m. local time on January 10, 2006. Hurricanes in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean are termed cyclones, and their wind direction depends on whether they are north or south of the equator. In the Southern Hemisphere, cyclone winds blow in a clockwise direction. In this image, Clare stretches hundreds of kilometers across as it moves along the Pilbara Coast. At the time this image was taken, Clare was a well-developed storm system with peak sustained winds of around 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour. The cyclone's center was about 300 kilometers from Port Hedland, the nearest major city. According to a report from ABC.net.au, the storm had winds as high as 200 kilometers per hour when it struck Dampier, a coastal town approximately 200 kilometers southwest of Port Hedland. The storm also dropped 20 centimeters (almost 8 inches) of rain on Dampier, and forecasters expected more rain for the area. Clare was expected to remain a Category 2 storm as it moved inland. As of the morning of January 10, 2006, however, only minor damage was reported. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Dora
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Dora |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Dora was spinning down on the morning of February 5, 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. At the time, Dora had winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour or 65 knots) with gusts to 148 km/h (92 mph, 80 knots), not an extremely powerful storm as far as cyclones go. Dora formed on January 28 over the mid-Indian Ocean, and developed into a strong cyclone with winds of 213 km/hr (132 mph, 115 knots), equivalent to a Category four hurricane, by February 3. Though the storm had weakened from its peak strength when MODIS captured this photo-like image, Dora retained the tightly wound, circular shape of a well-formed cyclone. On February 6, Dora was expected to continue to degrade as it moved south over cooler waters. It was not forecast to threaten land. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Dovi
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Dovi |
| Description |
Located roughly 1300 km southeast of Samoa in the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Cyclone Dovi is packing a punch with sustained winds at an impressive 157 km per hour (98 mph). On Feb. 10, 2003, the storm was tracking due south, however, and appeared headed for oblivion over the cold waters of the South Pacific. This true-color image of the storm was acquired on February 9, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA?s Terra 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 Elita (09S)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Elita (09S) |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Elita as it was making landfall off the coast of Mahajanga, Madagascar on January 28, 2004. Elita's maximum sustained winds were near 60 knots (70 mph) with gusts to 75 knots (85 mph). The storm was expected to dissipate over the next 24-36 hours at it interacted with the Madagascar land body. 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 |
This combination image made of two consecutive passes of the Terra satellite over the southwestern Pacific Ocean shows Tropical Cyclone Eseta off the island of Fiji (right) and Tropical Cyclone Erica off the northeast coast of Australia (bottom left). The image was acquired on March 11, 2003. 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 Favio
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Favio |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Favio came ashore on the coast of Mozambique in 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 that measured around 203 kilometers per hour (126 miles per hour), according to the Tropical Storm Risk.com [ http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/ ] and Reuters AlertNet. [ http://www.alertnet.org/ ] The cyclone, the strongest recorded storm to hit Mozambique, was heading directly towards the Zambezi River valley region. This region suffered 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 ] This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 22, 2007, at 10:20 a.m. local time (8:20 UTC), just as the storm was coming ashore. The eye of the storm was just off the coast as MODIS observed the cyclone. Favio had the recognizable shape of a mature, southern hemisphere tropical cyclone, with spiral arms showing its clockwise rotation, and a well-defined eye with strong eyewall (inner ring) clouds. 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/?2007053-0222/Favio.A2007053.0820 ] You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Favio KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Feb2007/ Favio.A2007053.0820.250m.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 |
Category 4-strength Cyclone Favio was closing the gap between Madagascar and mainland Africa on February 21, 2007, preparing to strike Mozambique in coming days. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite shows Favio stretched across the Mozambique Channel at 9:35 a.m. (local time) Wednesday morning. The outermost bands of clouds on the western side of the storm were already brushing the coast of Inhambane province in southern Mozambique. A thick ring of "boiling" clouds surrounds the eye of the storm. Favio had weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm between the time the image was acquired and this posting. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast issued at 12:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. Mozambique local time) on February 21 indicated that Favio had sustained wind speeds of 100 knots (about 185 kilometers/hour, 115 miles/hour), with gusts up to 125 knots (about 232 kilometers/hour, 144 miles/hour). The forecast called for the storm to weaken before making landfall within 24 hours, but the impacts were still expected to be severe. The country was already water-logged 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 ] 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.A2007052.0735.250m.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 |
Tropical Cyclone Fay was beginning to move ashore over Western Australia on March 25, 2004, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. With winds of 139 kilometers per hour (86 miles per hour), and gusts up to 166 kilometers per hour (104 miles per hour), the storm has ripped up trees and closed roads in Broome, on Australia?s west coast, but little other damage has been reported. The storm shifted from its predicted course to move south-south-west before coming ashore. 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/?2004085-0325/Fay.A2004085.0230 ], 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 Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Fay just hours before it would begin turning back towards the Western Australian coast. The cyclone was downgraded from a category five to a category four system overnight and was expected to begin moving south. As a result, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology issued new advisories for coastal and island communities between Cape Leveque and Mardie, along the Pilbara coast. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fay finally came ashore over Western Australia's Pilbara coast on March 27, 2004. At that time, the storm carried winds that gusted up to 200 kilometers per hour (124 miles per hour). Fortunately, the storm made landfall in a sparsely populated region, and relatively little damage has been reported. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the storm over the Western Australian coast on March 27, 2004. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS ' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Fiona
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fiona |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fiona, located approximately 300 miles south of Java, has tracked westward at 6 mph over the past 6 hours. Fiona's maximum sustained winds are estimated at 86 mph with gusts to 104 mph. Fiona is forecast to track west-southwestward over the next 24 hours. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Fiona
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fiona |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fiona is caught whirling in the Indian Ocean south of Sumatra (Indonesia) on Feb. 10, 2003, in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite. With maximum sustained winds at 90 knots (104 miles per hour) and gusts up to 110 (126 miles per hour), Fiona was located about 350 nautical miles (403 miles) southwest of the Cocos Islands and was predicted to move west to west-southwest over the course of the day. 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 Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Floyd
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Floyd |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Floyd formed northwest of Australia in the Timor Sea on March 21, 2006. The cyclone gained power gradually and was heading west into the Indian Ocean. It was not predicted to travel over any large landmasses, though it may pose a threat to Christmas Island well off the Western Australia coast in the Indian Ocean. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite observed the storm at 11:55 a.m. Australian Western Daylight Saving time (02:35 UTC) on March 22, 2006, Tropical Cyclone Floyd was continuing to slowly build power and size. When MODIS made this observation, the storm had peak winds of around 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), and forecasts at the time called for it to continue to gather strength for at least several days, with predicted peak winds of 170 kilometers per hour (105 mph), according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone George
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone George |
| Description |
After crossing Australia's Northern Territory and triggering floods [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14159 ], Cyclone George skimmed along the Australian coast, steadily gaining power. By the time the storm took a sharp turn towards shore and headed towards Port Hedland in northern Western Australia on March 8, 2007, the cyclone packed sustained winds of 200 kilometers per hour (127 miles per hour, 110 knots), with gusts to 250 km/hr (155 mph, 135 knots). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on March 8 at 10:55 a.m. local time (1:55 UTC). Though the storm lacks a distinct eye, the dense concentration of swirling clouds attests to the storm's power. 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/?2007067-0308/George.A2007067.0155 ] You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone George KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Mar2007/George.A2007067.0155.250m.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 Gina
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gina |
| Description |
On June 6, 2003, the MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this bird's-eye view of Tropical Cyclone Gina as it was located approximately 495 miles (792 km) north-northwest of Noumea, New Caledonia. Gina was packing sustained winds near 89 mph with higher gusts to 104 mph. Since this strong low pressure system is located south of the equator, the winds associated with Gina are spinning in a clockwise motion. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, 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 also brought heavy rain to the islands off the Kimberly coast. As of March 28, 2006, the storm had reached Category 4 status and was expected to build power and reach the maximum, Category 5, rating during the next day. This natural-color image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on March 28, 2006, at 10:00 a.m. local time (02:00 UTC). It shows Cyclone Glenda as a well-developed storm, sitting 180 kilometers (150 miles) north of Broome. The storm was already large enough that Broome was covered by the edge of the cyclone. Sustained, peak winds in the storm system were roughly 165 kilometers per hour (105 miles per hour) at this time. The cyclone had been traveling roughly parallel to the coastline, putting the entire coastal area on alert. The area includes not only major pearl-diving operations and beaches that attract tourists, but it is also home to the Northwest Shelf, one of Australia's major oil fields. The oil fields are located off the coast near Dampier. According to news reports, operators were not expressing concern about the oil field but were planning for necessary shutdowns for safety. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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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, and the storm brought heavy rain to the islands off the Kimberly coast. As of March 29, 2006, the storm had reached Category 5 status, the maximum rating possible for a cyclone. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on March 29, 2006, at 10:40 a.m. local time (02:40 UTC). It shows Cyclone Glenda as a well-developed storm, sitting 525 kilometers (330 miles) west of Broome. Clouds from the storm covered most of the northwest coastline of Western Australia. Sustained, peak winds in the storm system were roughly 220 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour) at this time. The storm's spiraling clouds appear as a nearly solid white disk, but in several places, it appears as though some clouds are "boiling" up above the rest. Predictions as of 2:55 a.m. Australian Western Standard Time on March 30 were that the storm would cross the coast between Exmouth and Karatha on Thursday afternoon or night as a very dangerous storm. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology predicted that wind speeds near the storm center could reach 265 kilometers per hour (165 miles per hour) as the storm comes ashore. Many coastal communities were being evacuated by State Emergency Services ahead of the storm. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Liam Gumley, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Geoscience Australia. |
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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. Powerful winds whipped up surf along the coastline of Western Australia's Pilbara region, and the storm brought heavy rains to the islands off the Kimberly coast. On March 29, it was classified as a Category 5 storm, the highest rating on the cyclone-strength scale. However, as it came ashore a day later, it had lost a small fraction of its strength. By March 31, 2006, the storm had lost considerable power and was ranked as a mere tropical depression. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on March 31, 2006, at 10:30 a.m. local time (02:30 UTC), roughly 40 hours after coming ashore near Onslow. The remnants of Cyclone Glenda still have a vaguely spiral appearance, but they lack the well-developed eye and tight-wound shape of the mature, powerful storm of previous days. Clouds from the storm cover most of the Indian Ocean coast of Western Australia. Sustained, peak winds in the storm system were considerably diminished, roughly 65 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) around the time the image was captured. Damage assessments in Onslow showed the town fared better than expected in the face of such a powerful storm. However, it will be many days before clean-up operations are concluded. Meteorologists were also concerned about the widespread flooding potential as the storm continued to travel inland. 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 |
A storm with near-perfect symmetry and a well-defined eye hovering over the warm waters of the Caribbean or in the South Pacific is not unusual, but Tropical Cyclone Gonu showed up in a rather different place: the Arabian Sea. 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 was a rare exception. 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. At 9:35 a.m. local time (06:35 UTC) on June 5, 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 approaching the northeastern shore of Oman. At this time, the powerful storm had reached a dangerous Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] status. Sustained winds were measured at 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour) according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] at the time of this MODIS image. The storm has the hallmark tightly wound arms that spiral around a well-defined, circular eye. The eye is surrounded by a 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, distinct 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 forecast as of June 5 called for the storm to graze Oman's shore, but with the center of the storm staying offshore in the Gulf of Oman. The storm's first landfall was predicted to be in southern Iran. The cooler water along the Oman coast was expected to rob the storm of some of its intensity, and it was predicted to strike the Iranian coast at around Category 1 strength. If, however, the forecast track is not quite right and the storm stays farther from shore over shallower and much warmer waters in the Gulf of Oman, it could make landfall while still packing Category 3 winds. In either case, communities along the Gulf of Oman are poorly prepared for hurricanes, given their rarity, and severe damage to cities and oil platforms is possible due to winds and storm surge. 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/?2007156-0605/Gonu.A2007156.0635 ] You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Gonu KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/Gonu.A2007156.0635.250m.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 Gonu
| Title |
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 Graham (20S
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| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Graham (20S) |
| Description |
With sustained winds near 64 km per hour (40 mph), Tropical Cyclone Graham (20S) is located approximately 200 miles northeast of Port Hedland and is drifting southeastward at 6 km per hour (3 mph). This true-color image of the storm was acquired on February 28, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Terra 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 Harriet (21
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| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Harriet (21S) |
| Description |
With sustained winds near 83 km per hour (52 mph), Tropical Cyclone 21S is located approximately 575 miles north-northwest of Learmonth, Australia and is moving towards the east at 15 km per hour (9 mph) This true-color image of the storm was acquired on March 3, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Terra 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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| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Harriet (21S) |
| Description |
With sustained winds near 55 km per hour (35 mph), Tropical Cyclone Harriet (21S) is located approximately 368 miles north-northeast of Learmonth, Australia and is moving towards the south-southeast at 17 km per hour (10 mph) This true-color image of the storm was acquired on March 5, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Terra 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 Hubert
| Title |
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 Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on April 7, 2006, at 10:05 p.m. local time (02:05 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, though it has become somewhat more compact and defined than the previous day. Sustained, peak winds in the storm system were roughly 100 kilometers per hour (65 miles per hour) around the time the image was captured. Hubert had remained at this strength for the previous 36 hours, as if the storm was not developing further, despite the changes in the cloud structure and storm-core shape. Hubert was approaching the same areas of Western Australia affected by Cyclone Glenda a week earlier. At 8 p.m. local time on April 7, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/ ] was reporting that the town of Onslow was close to running out of gas to supply the local power plant. Onslow bore the brunt of Cyclone Glenda the week before, and the gas plant providing the town with electricity was still surrounded by meter-deep flood water from Glenda's visit. Hubert's arrival was further hindering efforts to restore and repair services in the town and surrounding communities. 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/?2006097-0407/Hubert.A2006097.0240 ] 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
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Inigo |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Inigo is bearing down on the coast of northwest Australia in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite on April 6, 2003. At the time this image was taken winds were around 100 knots (115 mph), down from their maximum speed of 161 mph achieved on April 4. As of April 7, the storm was predicted to continue weakening as it moved toward land, but it could still bring heavy rains to Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In this image, the outer bands of storm clouds have reached the Australia coast and extend northward over the Timor Sea almost all the way to the island of Timor at the top of the image. The storm was predicted to make landfall Monday night or Tuesday, and residents were being warned to prepare for winds in excess of 105 miles per hour. 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 Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S
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| Title |
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 Japhet (19S
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| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S) |
| Description |
With sustained winds near 104 km per hour (65 mph), Tropical Cyclone Japhet (19S) is tracking southwestward between Madagascar and Mozambique. This true-color image of the storm was acquired on February 26, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Terra 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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