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Tropical Cyclone of Australia and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
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Tropical Cyclone Clare
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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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Tropical Cyclone Craig Hits Northern Territory |
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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 Daryl
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Tropical Cyclone Daryl |
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This pair of images shows the birth of Cyclone Daryl off the northwest coast of Western Australia on January 19, 2006. In the fifteen hours that elapsed between the time the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite captured the top image at 10:08 a.m. Australian Western Standard Time and when it captured the bottom image at 1:00 a.m., Daryl went from a weak, newly named storm to a mature storm roughly equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm's center remained just offshore as it moved southwest along the coast, sparing coastal communities a direct hit. Both images show rain rates in the storm. In the top image, TRMM reveals that despite having a sizeable band of intense rain (dark red segment) centered in a broad area of light (blue areas) to occasionally moderate (green areas) rain, Daryl showed very little evidence of circulation. This lack of circulation indicated that Daryl was in the early stages of development. At the time of this image, Daryl was rated as a Category 1 cyclone by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Center, indicating peak wind gusts of less than 125 kilometers per hour (78 miles per hour)—equivalent to a tropical storm. The lower image was taken just 15 hours later at 17:00 UTC (1:00 a.m. Australian WST on January 20) and shows a very different-looking storm. Although Daryl did not have a well-defined closed eye, the heavy rain had separated into arcing bands (green and darker red arcs), indicating that Daryl had a more mature circulation than it did earlier. Daryl became a Category 3 cyclone the following day. Catching Tropical Cyclone Daryl in the act of building may provide new and critical data for understanding the complexities of storm intensification. Becuase storms tend to form and intensify well away from land, scientists are still trying to understand how cyclones intensify. Armed with both passive and active sensors, including the first and only precipitation radar in space, TRMM has proven itself to be a valuable tool for examining tropical cyclones. These images show rain rates as measured by a number of different sensors on the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. Launched in November 1997 to measure rainfall over the global tropics, TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI, NASA/GSFC) and captioned by Steve Lang (SSAI, NASA/GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Daryl
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Tropical Cyclone Daryl |
| Description |
This pair of images shows the birth of Cyclone Daryl off the northwest coast of Western Australia on January 19, 2006. In the fifteen hours that elapsed between the time the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite captured the top image at 10:08 a.m. Australian Western Standard Time and when it captured the bottom image at 1:00 a.m., Daryl went from a weak, newly named storm to a mature storm roughly equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm's center remained just offshore as it moved southwest along the coast, sparing coastal communities a direct hit. Both images show rain rates in the storm. In the top image, TRMM reveals that despite having a sizeable band of intense rain (dark red segment) centered in a broad area of light (blue areas) to occasionally moderate (green areas) rain, Daryl showed very little evidence of circulation. This lack of circulation indicated that Daryl was in the early stages of development. At the time of this image, Daryl was rated as a Category 1 cyclone by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Center, indicating peak wind gusts of less than 125 kilometers per hour (78 miles per hour)—equivalent to a tropical storm. The lower image was taken just 15 hours later at 17:00 UTC (1:00 a.m. Australian WST on January 20) and shows a very different-looking storm. Although Daryl did not have a well-defined closed eye, the heavy rain had separated into arcing bands (green and darker red arcs), indicating that Daryl had a more mature circulation than it did earlier. Daryl became a Category 3 cyclone the following day. Catching Tropical Cyclone Daryl in the act of building may provide new and critical data for understanding the complexities of storm intensification. Becuase storms tend to form and intensify well away from land, scientists are still trying to understand how cyclones intensify. Armed with both passive and active sensors, including the first and only precipitation radar in space, TRMM has proven itself to be a valuable tool for examining tropical cyclones. These images show rain rates as measured by a number of different sensors on the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. Launched in November 1997 to measure rainfall over the global tropics, TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI, NASA/GSFC) and captioned by Steve Lang (SSAI, NASA/GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Daryl
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Daryl |
| Description |
This pair of images shows the birth of Cyclone Daryl off the northwest coast of Western Australia on January 19, 2006. In the fifteen hours that elapsed between the time the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite captured the top image at 10:08 a.m. Australian Western Standard Time and when it captured the bottom image at 1:00 a.m., Daryl went from a weak, newly named storm to a mature storm roughly equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm's center remained just offshore as it moved southwest along the coast, sparing coastal communities a direct hit. Both images show rain rates in the storm. In the top image, TRMM reveals that despite having a sizeable band of intense rain (dark red segment) centered in a broad area of light (blue areas) to occasionally moderate (green areas) rain, Daryl showed very little evidence of circulation. This lack of circulation indicated that Daryl was in the early stages of development. At the time of this image, Daryl was rated as a Category 1 cyclone by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Center, indicating peak wind gusts of less than 125 kilometers per hour (78 miles per hour)—equivalent to a tropical storm. The lower image was taken just 15 hours later at 17:00 UTC (1:00 a.m. Australian WST on January 20) and shows a very different-looking storm. Although Daryl did not have a well-defined closed eye, the heavy rain had separated into arcing bands (green and darker red arcs), indicating that Daryl had a more mature circulation than it did earlier. Daryl became a Category 3 cyclone the following day. Catching Tropical Cyclone Daryl in the act of building may provide new and critical data for understanding the complexities of storm intensification. Becuase storms tend to form and intensify well away from land, scientists are still trying to understand how cyclones intensify. Armed with both passive and active sensors, including the first and only precipitation radar in space, TRMM has proven itself to be a valuable tool for examining tropical cyclones. These images show rain rates as measured by a number of different sensors on the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. Launched in November 1997 to measure rainfall over the global tropics, TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI, NASA/GSFC) and captioned by Steve Lang (SSAI, NASA/GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Emma
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Tropical Cyclone Emma |
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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)
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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)
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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)
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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 Erica (22P)
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Tropical Cyclone Erica (22P) |
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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 Fay
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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
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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
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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 Fay
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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
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Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fay first developed into a tropical depression on the 16th of March 2004 in the Timor Sea west of Bathurst Island off the northern coast of Australia. Just twelve hours after becoming a depression, Fay became a named tropical storm with winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph). From there, the system took a general west southwestward track parallel to the northwestern coastline of Australia. On the 18th of March, Fay was upgraded to a Category 1 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph). Fay then continued to steadily gain in strength becoming a Category 2 cyclone on the 19th, a Category 3 cyclone on the 20th, and a powerful Category 4 cyclone on the 21st with maximum sustained winds reaching an estimated 120 knots (138 mph). Fay is expected now to take a more southerly track ahead of an advancing trough and threaten the coast of Western Australia. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has monitored the development of Fay capturing several unique images of the storm as it grew into a major cyclone. The first image (top left) was taken at 21:11 UTC on 17 March 2004 (5:11 am Australian WST 18 March). It shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). These rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of this first image, Fay was still a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph). TRMM reveals that the storm is still organizing with no evidence of an eye. However, a sizeable area of intense 2-inch-per-hour rain rates (darker red area) exists near the center of circulation, and the heating generated from this rainfall can help to drive the storm's circulation and make it stronger. The next image taken over a day later at 06:05 UTC on the 19th (top right) shows that Fay had become much better organized. The banding evident in the moderate intensity rain field (green arcs) is more pronounced, and an eye has started to form in the southeast portion of the main rain area. An area of intense rain rates (darker reds) is embedded in the northwest quadrant of the eyewall. Fay was at the time a Category 1 cyclone with sustained winds of 75 knots (86 mph). The last two images were taken at 20:00 UTC on March 20. Fay was now a Category 3 cyclone with sustained winds of 100 knots (115 mph). The eye of the storm is now readily apparent with moderate (green) to heavy (red) rain rates in the northern, western and southern portions of the eyewall. The final image (bottom right) shows a vertical slice through the center of Fay. It shows the heavy rain (red area) in the western eyewall as well as intense rain (dark reds) associated with deep convection (vertical blue/green tower) in an outer, rainband well west of the center. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
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Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fay first developed into a tropical depression on the 16th of March 2004 in the Timor Sea west of Bathurst Island off the northern coast of Australia. Just twelve hours after becoming a depression, Fay became a named tropical storm with winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph). From there, the system took a general west southwestward track parallel to the northwestern coastline of Australia. On the 18th of March, Fay was upgraded to a Category 1 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph). Fay then continued to steadily gain in strength becoming a Category 2 cyclone on the 19th, a Category 3 cyclone on the 20th, and a powerful Category 4 cyclone on the 21st with maximum sustained winds reaching an estimated 120 knots (138 mph). Fay is expected now to take a more southerly track ahead of an advancing trough and threaten the coast of Western Australia. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has monitored the development of Fay capturing several unique images of the storm as it grew into a major cyclone. The first image (top left) was taken at 21:11 UTC on 17 March 2004 (5:11 am Australian WST 18 March). It shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). These rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of this first image, Fay was still a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph). TRMM reveals that the storm is still organizing with no evidence of an eye. However, a sizeable area of intense 2-inch-per-hour rain rates (darker red area) exists near the center of circulation, and the heating generated from this rainfall can help to drive the storm's circulation and make it stronger. The next image taken over a day later at 06:05 UTC on the 19th (top right) shows that Fay had become much better organized. The banding evident in the moderate intensity rain field (green arcs) is more pronounced, and an eye has started to form in the southeast portion of the main rain area. An area of intense rain rates (darker reds) is embedded in the northwest quadrant of the eyewall. Fay was at the time a Category 1 cyclone with sustained winds of 75 knots (86 mph). The last two images were taken at 20:00 UTC on March 20. Fay was now a Category 3 cyclone with sustained winds of 100 knots (115 mph). The eye of the storm is now readily apparent with moderate (green) to heavy (red) rain rates in the northern, western and southern portions of the eyewall. The final image (bottom right) shows a vertical slice through the center of Fay. It shows the heavy rain (red area) in the western eyewall as well as intense rain (dark reds) associated with deep convection (vertical blue/green tower) in an outer, rainband well west of the center. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
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Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
After meandering off the coast of western Australia, Cyclone Fay finally came ashore back on the 27th of March 2004 as a powerful Category 4 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph). The cyclone quickly weakened over land. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several unique images of Fay along its path (please, see the previous TRMM story on Cyclone Fay). The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals are shown for western Australia and the eastern Indian Ocean in association with the passage of Fay for the period 20 to 27 March 2004. The heaviest rainfall totals are by far and away located over the eastern Indian Ocean. The darker red areas show rainfall totals due to Fay on the order of 12 inches in this region. The heaviest totals appear to the right of the storm track (shown by the white storm symbols plotted every 06Z). These heavy amounts are the product of an intense rain band located well to the north west of the center that was observed by TRMM starting back on the 19th of March. The highest totals over land appear right along the coast and are on the order of 3 to 5 inches (green areas). A swath of 1 to 2 inch amounts (blue areas) extends inland over Western Australia. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
After meandering off the coast of western Australia, Cyclone Fay finally came ashore back on the 27th of March 2004 as a powerful Category 4 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph). The cyclone quickly weakened over land. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several unique images of Fay along its path (please, see the previous TRMM story on Cyclone Fay). The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals are shown for western Australia and the eastern Indian Ocean in association with the passage of Fay for the period 20 to 27 March 2004. The heaviest rainfall totals are by far and away located over the eastern Indian Ocean. The darker red areas show rainfall totals due to Fay on the order of 12 inches in this region. The heaviest totals appear to the right of the storm track (shown by the white storm symbols plotted every 06Z). These heavy amounts are the product of an intense rain band located well to the north west of the center that was observed by TRMM starting back on the 19th of March. The highest totals over land appear right along the coast and are on the order of 3 to 5 inches (green areas). A swath of 1 to 2 inch amounts (blue areas) extends inland over Western Australia. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Floyd
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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 Fritz
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fritz |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fritz first formed into a tropical cyclone on 10 February 2004 in the Coral Sea east of Queensland, Australia. The storm then came ashore on the morning of the 11th (LST) as a minimal cyclone along the northeast coastline of Queensland just north of Cape Melville. Most of the rainfall with Fritz was away from the center near Weipa to the north and Cairns to the south. The system weakened into a tropical depression over land and continued moving westward cutting across the Cape York Peninsula before re-emerging over the waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria. It then re-intensified back into a Category 1 cyclone on the 12th. Fritz's circulation, however, was too disrupted over land to have time to get too well organized and thus allow for significant strengthening. However, it did manage to reach Category 2 status with peak wind gusts exceeding 125 kph (75 mph) before crossing Mornington Island in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria. Fritz then made landfall again on the far northwest coast of Queensland. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured these unique images of Cyclone Fritz while it was in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria. The images were taken at 14:18 UTC on 11 February 2004 (12:18 am Australian EST 12 February 2004). At the time, Fritz was categorized as a Category 1 cyclone by the Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre with peak wind gusts of less then 125 kph (75 mph). The first image shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first precipitation radar in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). Fritz is shown to have a poorly organized circulation with no discernable eyewall. At this time only small, isolated areas of heavy rainfall are present (dark red spots). Tropical cyclones need the heat that is released when water vapor condenses into the cloud droplets that form the precipitation to drive the storm. This process is most efficient when the storm is well-organized and the heating takes place near the center. The second image shows a vertical cross section looking towards the west through the northern part of storm from the TRMM PR. It shows areas of heavy rainfall (darker reds) associated with rainbands away from the center of circulation. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone George
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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 George
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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 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 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 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 Harriet (21
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| Title |
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 Harriet (21
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| Title |
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 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 Hubert
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Hubert |
| Description |
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) flew directly over Tropical Cyclone Hubert as the storm was building off Australia's northwestern coast on April 6, 2006. Hubert is one of the seasonal storms that form between December and April in the region between Australia's northwestern coast and the western islands of the Indonesian chain. In a typical year, the cyclone season winds down in April when the Asian Monsoon developing in the north shifts storm formation away from the Australian coastline. The 2006 Australian cyclone season has seen just slightly more than the typical number of storms, including the unusually powerful Cyclone Glenda, which swept over northwestern Australia in late March. The TRMM satellite brought its full suite of instruments to bear on Tropical Cyclone Hubert. The outer regions of the storm were observed by the Visible and Infrared Scanner instrument, showing the extent and structure of clouds in the building storm. Superimposed on top of the clouds (wide outer swath) is the rain intensity, as detected by passive microwave energy using the TRMM Microwave Radiometer. The innermost swath shows the rain intensity as measured by the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR). Reds indicated the heaviest rain regions, with the PR instrument able to peer into the clouds to discern the structure and intensity of the storm. The spiral structure of the rain bands, with the most intense rainfall in the storm center, is not at all obvious to other instruments, where the absence of a clear eye structure disguises the underlying storm form. TRMM's unique abilities provide insight into pressing questions in meteorological research, particularly in critical areas such as how storm systems form and intensify. TRMM observed Hubert at 10:47 a.m. local time (02:47 UTC) on April 6, 2006. At the time of this observation, Hubert was strong enough to be classified as a cyclone, but not particularly intense. Cyclone Hubert had a basic spiral form, but lacked the well-developed eye and tight-wound shape of a powerful storm. The PR observations show that the spiral structure and eye formation existed within the storm even though it was not evident in the cloud tops. 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 Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission is shared between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. More detailed images of hurricane rain structure can be found on the TRMM website. [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] NASA image courtesy of Hal Pierce, SSAI/Goddard Space Flight Center |
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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 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
| 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 Kara
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Kara |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Kara was poised just offshore of the Pilbara coast of Western Australia on March 27, 2007. Kara was not a particularly severe storm, but was prepared to hit the same area that powerful Cyclone George [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14163 ] and Category 2 Cyclone Jacob [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14162 ] hit two weeks earlier. 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 March 27, 2007, at 10:25 a.m. local time (02:25 UTC). The storm was a tropical cyclone with a circular shape and distinct eye at its center. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Cyclone Kara had sustained winds of 145 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) near the time this image was acquired. 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/?2007086-0327/Kara.A2007086.0225 ] You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Kara KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Mar2007/kara_tmo_2007086.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 Ken
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Ken |
| Description |
Cyclone Ken, seen approaching Australia?s northwestern coast in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image, is Western Australia?s first tropical cyclone of the season. The weak, category-one storm was not expected to make landfall, though the Australian Weather Bureau warned coastal residents of severe weather. The storm formed on January 1, 2004. By the time this image was taken on January 5, at 10:30 AM local time (2:30 UTC), Ken?s winds reached 40 miles per hour, with gusts up to 52 miles per hour. The storm weakened later in the day. 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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Flooding from Tropical Cyclo
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| Title |
Flooding from Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fay hovered offshore for several days before finally making landfall near the DeGrey River in Western Australia. The storm caused relatively little damage, but it did fill the river, pushing it beyond its normal size. In the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image taken on April 1, 2004, by the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, pale blue pools of flood water surround the swollen river. On March 23, before Fay came ashore, the river was only visible because of the thin green lines of vegetation that line its banks. In both images, vegetation is bright green, bare ground is tan and pink, water is blue and black, and clouds are light blue. The high resolution images provided above are 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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Flooding from Tropical Cyclo
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| Title |
Flooding from Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fay hovered offshore for several days before finally making landfall near the DeGrey River in Western Australia. The storm caused relatively little damage, but it did fill the river, pushing it beyond its normal size. In the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image taken on April 1, 2004, by the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, pale blue pools of flood water surround the swollen river. On March 23, before Fay came ashore, the river was only visible because of the thin green lines of vegetation that line its banks. In both images, vegetation is bright green, bare ground is tan and pink, water is blue and black, and clouds are light blue. The high resolution images provided above are 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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Flooding from Tropical Cyclo
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| Title |
Flooding from Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Fay hovered offshore for several days before finally making landfall near the DeGrey River in Western Australia. The storm caused relatively little damage, but it did fill the river, pushing it beyond its normal size. In the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image taken on April 1, 2004, by the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, pale blue pools of flood water surround the swollen river. On March 23, before Fay came ashore, the river was only visible because of the thin green lines of vegetation that line its banks. In both images, vegetation is bright green, bare ground is tan and pink, water is blue and black, and clouds are light blue. The high resolution images provided above are 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 Larry
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Larry |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Larry formed off the northeastern coast of Australia on March 18, 2006, but built strength rapidly. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite observed the storm at 11:55 a.m. Eastern Australian Daylight Time (00:55 UTC) on March 19, 2006, only a day later, Larry had already reached considerable size and power, with peak sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour). Within the next eighteen hours, according to the Tropical Storm information service at the University of Hawaii, sustained winds reached 185 km/hr (115 mph), just before the storm came ashore. It lost power over land. This image shows Cyclone Larry as it was bearing down on the coast of Queensland over the Great Barrier Reef. During the next day, Larry caused considerable damage to coastal towns and property, flattening sugar cane fields. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, as much as 90 percent of the Australian banana crop may have been lost in this single storm. Since many trees have been destroyed, it may be many years before the banana industry recovers. 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. 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 Larry
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Larry |
| Description |
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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Tropical Cyclone Monica
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Monica |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Monica formed off the northeastern coast of Australia on April 17, 2006. This is the same general area where Cyclone Larry [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13431 ] formed a month earlier. Larry caused devastation to Queenland's coastal communities and destroyed a large fraction of the banana trees in the region. Cyclone Monica was not predicted to be anywhere near as destructive as Larry, and according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology [ http://www.bom.gov.au/ ], Monica was expected to cross Cape York in northern Queensland well away from most settled areas, limiting the damage it was predicted to cause. 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 18, 2006, at 10:35 a.m. local time (00:35 UTC). Cyclone Monica 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. NASA image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Tropical Cyclone Monica
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Monica |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Monica formed off the northeastern coast of Australia on April 17, 2006. This is the same general area where Cyclone Larry [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13431 ] formed a month earlier. Larry caused devastation to Queenland's coastal communities and destroyed a large fraction of the banana trees in the region. Cyclone Monica was not predicted to be anywhere near as destructive as Larry, and Monica's path across Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland would take it well away from most settled areas. 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 19, 2006, at 2:10 p.m. local time (04:10 UTC). Cyclone Monica at this time had a large spiral form, and its well-developed eye was just about to make landfall as the Aqua satellite flew overhead. Sustained peak winds in the storm system were roughly 140 kilometers per hour (85 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 provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery//?2006109-0419/Monica.A2006109.0410 ] 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 Monica
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Monica |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Monica formed off the northeastern coast of Australia on April 17, 2006. This is the same general area where Cyclone Larry [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13431 ] formed a month earlier. Larry caused devastation to Queenland's coastal communities and destroyed a large fraction of the banana trees in the region. Cyclone Monica was nowhere near as destructive as Larry, and Monica's path across Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland took it well away from most settled areas. 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 21, 2006, at 11:10 a.m. local time (01:10 UTC). Cyclone Monica at this time was still a powerful storm, even after having lost some strength crossing Cape York on April 19 and 20. The storm was beginning to rebuild over the Gulf of Carpentaria. Sustained peak winds in the storm system were roughly 165 kilometers per hour (105 miles per hour) around the time the image was captured. At that time, Monica was expected to rebuild to a Category-4-strength storm before coming ashore again along the coast of the Northern Territory. Communities in Arnhem Land were bracing for very strong winds and heavy rains. 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 provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2006111-0421/Monica.A2006111.0110 ] 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 Monica
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Monica |
| Description |
Cyclone Monica became the strongest storm of the 2006 Australian cyclone season with wind gusts reaching 350 kilometers per hour (215 miles per hour) as reported by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Cyclone Warning Centre. The Category 5 cyclone hit along the sparsely populated coastline of the Northern Territory, sparing the city of Darwin. Monica originated in the Coral Sea below the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea, becoming a minimal tropical storm on April 17, 2006. The storm tracked due west towards the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, where it came ashore just south of Lockart River on the afternoon of April 19 as a Category 3 cyclone. Monica weakened as it crossed the peninsula, but when it reached the warm waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria on the other side, it re-organized and re-intensified. The image above shows Cyclone Monica during this re-intensification. The visualization combines data from several different instruments from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which observed the storm at 16:08 UTC on April 22, 2006 (1:38 a.m., April 23, Australian CST). With an active radar and a passive microwave sensor, TRMM can peer into the core of these storms and relay important details on storm structure and location to forecasters. In this case, TRMM showed a pattern of very heavy rain (red) forming an intense symmetric eyewall around a small, complete eye with tightly curved rainbands spiraling into the center—the signature of a mature, intense tropical cyclone. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, and rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. At the time of this TRMM overpass, Monica's sustained winds were estimated to be 230 kilometers/hour (144 mph) or equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Soon after these images were taken, Monica reached Category 5 status with sustained winds estimated at 285 km/hr (178 mph). The cyclone tracked westward, skirting the northern coastline of Australia before coming ashore west of Maningrida in the Northern Territory just after 8 p.m. local time. The storm quickly lost strength as it moved inland and passed by the main population center of Darwin. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. TRMM made several passes over Monica, during both the early and the mature stages of the storm. Since its launch in 1997, TRMM has provided valuable information on tropical storms. With an active radar and a passive microwave sensor, TRMM can peer into the core of these storms and relay details on storm structure and location to forecasters. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Cyclone Monica
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Monica |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Monica formed off the northeastern coast of Australia on April 17, 2006. This is the same general area where Cyclone Larry [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13431 ] formed a month earlier. On April 19 and 20, Cyclone Monica crossed Cape York Peninsula with weaker winds than Larry, and its path in northern Queensland took it well away from most settled areas. However, Monica's second act proved quite different. The cyclone gathered size and power in the Gulf of Carpentaria and rebuilt into a Category 5 storm. Monica grazed across the top of the Northern Territory, threatening communities throughout Arnhem Land, Kakadu, and the city of Darwin with heavy rains and very high winds. Many Australian news services were comparing Monica to 1974's powerful Cyclone Tracy which flattened Darwin and was the most devastating storm to ever hit Australia. 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 24, 2006, at 2:00 p.m. local time (04:30 UTC). Cyclone Monica at this time was an impressively large and powerful storm. Sustained peak winds in the storm system were roughly 285 kilometers per hour (180 miles per hour) around the time the image was captured, and gusts reached as high as 350 km/hr (220 mph). This put Monica firmly in the rare and most powerful, Category 5, rating. The eye of the storm appears like a deep whirlpool hovering just off the Australian coastline. Monica was predicted to come ashore again on the Coburg Peninsula and to strike Darwin on April 25. Ordinarily, Australians observe Anzac Day on April 25 (honoring Australians who served in the First World War), but throughout the Northern Territory, all services and events have been cancelled. 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 provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2006114-0424/Monica.A2006114.0430 ] 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 Monica
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Monica |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Monica formed off the northeastern coast of Australia on April 17, 2006. This is the same general area where Cyclone Larry [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13431 ] formed a month earlier. Cyclone Monica was not anywhere near as destructive as Larry when it crossed Cape York Peninsula, but when the tropical cyclone reached the warm waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria on the other side, it re-organized and re-intensified. Cyclone Monica became the strongest storm of the 2006 Australian cyclone season with wind gusts reaching 350 kilometers per hour (215 miles per hour) according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Cyclone Warning Centre. The Category 5 cyclone came ashore on the sparsely populated coastline of the Northern Territory, missing the city of Darwin, which had been bracing for a record 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 April 26, 2006, at 10:55 a.m. Australian Central Standard Time (01:25 UTC). Monica by this point had fallen apart quite rapidly, and it was already below cyclone strength. Only vague remnants of its tight spiral formation could be made out in this image. However, it continued to bring very heavy rains as it traveled across the Northern Territory, with record rainfalls throughout the region. It is unusual for such a strong storm to show up so late in the season: the Northern Territory's "wet" season (the local name for the five months from December through April when heavy rains and cyclones are common) has only a few more days left. NASA image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Tropical Cyclone Monty
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Tropical Cyclone Monty |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Monty located 140 miles east of Learmonth, Australia on March 2, 2004. Since moving inland the storm has diminished in strength and now has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. As of March 2, Monty has dumped over 8 inches of rain in Western Australia. According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Monty is expected to continue moving poleward and quickly dissipate. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone Monty
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Monty |
| Description |
The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) acquired these natural color images and cloud top height measurements for Monty before and after the storm made landfall over the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia, on February 29 and March 2, 2004 (shown as the left and right-hand image sets, respectively). On February 29, Monty was upgraded to category 4 cyclone status. After traveling inland about 300 kilometers to the south, the cyclonic circulation had decayed considerably, although category 3 force winds were reported on the ground. Some parts of the drought-affected Pilbara region received more than 300 millimeters of rainfall, and serious and extensive flooding has occurred. The natural color images cover much of the same area, although the right-hand panels are offset slightly to the east. Automated stereoscopic processing of data from multiple MISR cameras was utilized to produce the cloud-top height fields. The distinctive spatial patterns of the clouds provide the necessary contrast to enable automated feature matching between images acquired at different view angles. The height retrievals are at this stage uncorrected for the effects of the high winds associated with cyclone rotation. Areas where heights could not be retrieved are shown in dark gray. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth continuously and every 9 days views the entire globe between 82 degrees north and 82 degrees south latitude. These data products were generated from a portion of the imagery acquired during Terra orbits 22335 and 22364. The panels cover an area of about 380 kilometers x 985 kilometers, and utilize data from blocks 105 to 111 within World Reference System-2 paths 115 and 113. MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology. Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL MISR Team [ http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], caption courtesy Clare Averill, Raytheon/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
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Tropical Cyclone Monty
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Monty |
| Description |
The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) acquired these natural color images and cloud top height measurements for Tropical cyclone Monty before and after the storm made landfall over the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia, on February 29 and March 2, 2004 (shown as the left and right-hand image sets, respectively). On February 29, Monty was upgraded to category 4 cyclone status. After traveling inland about 300 kilometers to the south, the cyclonic circulation had decayed considerably, although category 3 force winds were reported on the ground. Some parts of the drought-affected Pilbara region received more than 300 millimeters of rainfall, and serious and extensive flooding has occurred. The natural color images cover much of the same area, although the right-hand panels are offset slightly to the east. Automated stereoscopic processing of data from multiple MISR cameras was utilized to produce the cloud-top height fields. The distinctive spatial patterns of the clouds provide the necessary contrast to enable automated feature matching between images acquired at different view angles. The height retrievals are at this stage uncorrected for the effects of the high winds associated with cyclone rotation. Areas where heights could not be retrieved are shown in dark gray. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth continuously and every 9 days views the entire globe between 82 degrees north and 82 degrees south latitude. The MISR Browse Image Viewer [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/MISRBR/ ] provides access to low-resolution true-color versions of these images. These data products were generated from a portion of the imagery acquired during Terra orbits 22335 and 22364. The panels cover an area of about 380 kilometers x 985 kilometers, and utilize data from blocks 105 to 111 within World Reference System-2 paths 115 and 113. Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] Text by Clare Averill (Raytheon/JPL). |
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