Browse All : Tropical Cyclone of Indian Ocean and Mauritius

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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tropical Cyclone Favio
Title Tropical Cyclone Favio
Description Tropical Cyclone Favio formed in the western Indian Ocean about 1,200 kilometers from Madagascar on February 14, 2007. It gradually moved southwest, passing well offshore of Reunion and Mauritius Islands. By February 20, it was just off the southern shore of Madagascar as a well-formed, mature storm. While the storm system had largely skirted around populated areas to that point, forecasters were concerned about its behavior as it entered the warmer waters of the Mozambique Channel. The storm was forecast to reach Category Four [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] strength before coming ashore and tracking inland through Zimbabwe and Zambia, bringing heavy rains to already flooded areas. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14115 ] This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 20, 2007, at 2:15 p.m. local time (11:15 UTC). The storm was turning north around the southern end of Madagscar, headed for the Mozambique Channel. Favio had the recognizable shape of a southern-hemisphere tropical cyclone, with spiral arms showing its clockwise rotation. The spiral arms are well-defined and tightly wound. A distinct eye at the center of the storm is only partially filled with clouds (a "partially closed" eye). These are all signs of a well-developed and powerful storm, consistent with the cyclone's strength. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http:/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3 www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Favio had steady winds of around 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) around the time MODIS made this observation. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Favio KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Feb2007/Favio.A2007051.1115.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Tropical Cyclone Favio
Title Tropical Cyclone Favio
Description ) satellite on February 20 and February 22, 2007. TRMM was placed into its low-earth orbit in November 1997 to measure rainfall from space, however, it has also served as a valuable platform for monitoring tropical cyclones, especially over remote parts of the open ocean. The images show the rainfall intensity. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while those in the outer portion are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. TRMM shows that Favio was a well-organized storm on February 20 (top) with a central eye (dark blue area in the center) surrounded by an eyewall containing heavy rainfall (dark red areas). The storm is also very symmetric with good "banding" in the rain field, demonstrated by the tightly curved bands of moderate rain (green areas) spiraling in towards the center. These features are the hallmarks of a mature, intense tropical cyclone. Though the cyclone did not strike Madagascar, the red areas indicate that it dumped heavy rains on the southern tip of the island. As Favio crossed the Mozambique Channel it reached a peak intensity of 232 kilometers per hour (144 miles per hour, or 125 knots) on the early morning of February 22, making it a Category 4 storm. The cyclone then weakened slightly before slamming into southern Mozambique with sustained winds estimated at 204 km/hr (127 mph, 110 knots). TRMM took the lower image on February 22 soon after Favio made landfall in Mozambique. The image shows that although the eye was not as well defined as in the earlier image, the circulation is still robust, the spiral rainbands (green arcs) are still well defined. Maximum sustained winds were still estimated to be 167 km/hr (114 mph, 90 knots) at the time of this image but quickly diminished thereafter. The bands of heavy rain shown in this image triggered floods [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14146 ] along rivers in Central Mozambique. Unfortunately for Mozambique, the storm-induced floods follow additional serious flooding on the Zambezi River [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14125 ] to the north. 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)., These images track Cyclone Favio as it brushed the southern tip of the island of Madagascar, and then continued on to Mozambique. The storm came ashore over southern Mozambique on February 22, 2007, as a strong Category 3 storm. As of February 28, news reports had attributed four fatalities to the storm in Vilanculos, a coastal tourist town where the storm made landfall. Favio began as a tropical disturbance on February 11, 2007, in the central Indian Ocean south of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago. Slow to intensify, the system finally became a tropical storm three days later on February 14. Favio remained a tropical storm for the next several days as it made its way through the west-central Indian Ocean east of Mauritius, and finally began to intensify as it neared Madagascar. It became a Category 1 cyclone on February 19. As it rounded the southern tip of Madagascar, Favio continued to intensify and reached Category 3 intensity on February 20. The cyclone then took a more northwesterly path as it entered the Mozambique Channel. These images of the storm were taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]
Tropical Cyclone Favio
Title Tropical Cyclone Favio
Description ) satellite on February 20 and February 22, 2007. TRMM was placed into its low-earth orbit in November 1997 to measure rainfall from space, however, it has also served as a valuable platform for monitoring tropical cyclones, especially over remote parts of the open ocean. The images show the rainfall intensity. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while those in the outer portion are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. TRMM shows that Favio was a well-organized storm on February 20 (top) with a central eye (dark blue area in the center) surrounded by an eyewall containing heavy rainfall (dark red areas). The storm is also very symmetric with good "banding" in the rain field, demonstrated by the tightly curved bands of moderate rain (green areas) spiraling in towards the center. These features are the hallmarks of a mature, intense tropical cyclone. Though the cyclone did not strike Madagascar, the red areas indicate that it dumped heavy rains on the southern tip of the island. As Favio crossed the Mozambique Channel it reached a peak intensity of 232 kilometers per hour (144 miles per hour, or 125 knots) on the early morning of February 22, making it a Category 4 storm. The cyclone then weakened slightly before slamming into southern Mozambique with sustained winds estimated at 204 km/hr (127 mph, 110 knots). TRMM took the lower image on February 22 soon after Favio made landfall in Mozambique. The image shows that although the eye was not as well defined as in the earlier image, the circulation is still robust, the spiral rainbands (green arcs) are still well defined. Maximum sustained winds were still estimated to be 167 km/hr (114 mph, 90 knots) at the time of this image but quickly diminished thereafter. The bands of heavy rain shown in this image triggered floods [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14146 ] along rivers in Central Mozambique. Unfortunately for Mozambique, the storm-induced floods follow additional serious flooding on the Zambezi River [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14125 ] to the north. 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)., These images track Cyclone Favio as it brushed the southern tip of the island of Madagascar, and then continued on to Mozambique. The storm came ashore over southern Mozambique on February 22, 2007, as a strong Category 3 storm. As of February 28, news reports had attributed four fatalities to the storm in Vilanculos, a coastal tourist town where the storm made landfall. Favio began as a tropical disturbance on February 11, 2007, in the central Indian Ocean south of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago. Slow to intensify, the system finally became a tropical storm three days later on February 14. Favio remained a tropical storm for the next several days as it made its way through the west-central Indian Ocean east of Mauritius, and finally began to intensify as it neared Madagascar. It became a Category 1 cyclone on February 19. As it rounded the southern tip of Madagascar, Favio continued to intensify and reached Category 3 intensity on February 20. The cyclone then took a more northwesterly path as it entered the Mozambique Channel. These images of the storm were taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]
Tropical Cyclone Gamede
Title Tropical Cyclone Gamede
Description Tropical Cyclone Gamede was in the western Indian Ocean off the shore of Madagascar on February 26, 2007. This powerful storm had been moving southward parallel to the eastern coast of Madagascar for two days at this time, bringing heavy rains and strong surf to Madagascar and the two major Mascarene Islands, Reunion and Mauritius. The storm seemed to be staying away from settled areas, but reports from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] and U.K. Accuweather [ http://ukie.accuweather.com/ ] noted strong surf on the coast and island shorelines, as well as heavy rain. This same area was brushed by Cyclone Favio [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14136 ] just days before, and it suffered a series of severe storms and cyclones in preceding months. Unlike Favio, Gamede was predicted to continue on its generally southward track and not turn towards mainland Africa. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 26, 2007, at 11:50 a.m. local time (9:50 UTC). The storm was a mature and powerful tropical cyclone, with a well-defined eye at its center and far-reaching, tightly wound spiral arms. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Cylone Gamede has sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (110 miles per hour) around the eyewall at the time this image was acquired. Forecasts at the time called for the storm to avoid landfall, but to continue its grazing path between the Mascarene Islands and Madagascar, with winds continuing to intensify as the storm traveled south over warm waters. NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Tropical Cyclone Gamede
Title Tropical Cyclone Gamede
Description Tropical Cyclone Gamede was sitting in the western Indian Ocean off the shore of Madagascar on February 25, 2007. This powerful storm had been bringing heavy rains and strong surf to eastern Madagascar and the two major Mascarene Islands of Reunion and Mauritius. No settled land areas were experiencing the full brunt of of the sustained winds in the eyewall of the storm (reported at 195 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ]) but damaging winds of 60 to 100 km/hr were recorded on the islands. One rainfall gauge measured totals as high as 47 centimeters over the three days Gamede was in the area, according to U.K. Accuweather. [ http://ukie.accuweather.com/ ] This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 25, 2007, at 11:50 a.m. local time (9:50 UTC), as the storm sat in the region between the small islands and Madagascar. At that time, it appeared the storm would head roughly south, bringing more winds and rain to the Mascarene Islands but not coming ashore onto Madagascar. Since the island had been pummeled by a series of tropical cyclones and storms in preceding months, Gamede was being watched with great care and concern by residents of the islands. The image provided above is at 1 kilometer resolution, less than the full level of detail possible from the MODIS instrument. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007056-0225/ ] Their image collection also includes the distant, but neighboring Cyclone Humba in the central Indian Ocean. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
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