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Reunion Island
This radar image shows the v
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12/14/95
| Date |
12/14/95 |
| Description |
This radar image shows the volcanic island of Reunion, about 700 km (434 miles) east of Madagascar in the southwest Indian Ocean. The southern half of the island is dominated by the active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise. This is one of the world's most active volcanoes, with more than 100 eruptions in the last 300 years. The most recent activity occurred in the vicinity of Dolomieu Crater, shown in the lower center of the image within a horseshoe-shaped collapse zone. Recent lava flows appear in shades of red, purple and orange. Light green areas are heavily vegetated forest, while much of the purple area near the coast is farmland. The radar illumination is from the left side of the image and dramatically emphasizes the precipitous cliffs at the edges of the central canyons of the island. These canyons are remnants from the collapse of formerly active parts of the volcanoes that built the island. This image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X- Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR- C/X-SAR) aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on October 5, 1994. The image is centered at 21.2 degrees south latitude, 55.6 degrees east longitude. The area shown is approximately 50 km by 80 km (31 miles by 50 miles). North is toward the upper right. Colors are assigned to different frequencies and polarizations of the radar as follows: red is L-band horizontally transmitted, vertically received, green is L-band horizontally transmitted, vertically received, and blue is C-band horizontally transmitted, vertically received. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint mission of the German, Italian and United States space agencies, is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. ##### |
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Tropical Cyclone Crystal on
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| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Crystal on December 25, 2002 |
| Abstract |
Tropical Cyclone Crystal approaches the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The storm packed sustained winds of 80 miles per hour with gusts up to 96 miles per hour. Mauritius is situated east of Madagascar off of the Africa's southeastern coast. This animation shows the storm's rain structure with 5 different isosurfaces. The first isosurface is grey and depicts areas with 0.5 inches of rain per hour. The second is light blue and reflects 1.0 inches of rain per hour. The third is green and shows 1.7 inches of rain per hour. The forth is yellow and represents 2.0 inches of rain per hour. The last isosurface is red and shows 2.2 inches or more of rain. |
| Completed |
2002-12-30 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Crystal on
…
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Crystal on December 25, 2002 |
| Abstract |
Tropical Cyclone Crystal approaches the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The storm packed sustained winds of 80 miles per hour with gusts up to 96 miles per hour. Mauritius is situated east of Madagascar off of the Africa's southeastern coast. This animation shows the storm's rain structure with 5 different isosurfaces. The first isosurface is grey and depicts areas with 0.5 inches of rain per hour. The second is light blue and reflects 1.0 inches of rain per hour. The third is green and shows 1.7 inches of rain per hour. The forth is yellow and represents 2.0 inches of rain per hour. The last isosurface is red and shows 2.2 inches or more of rain. |
| Completed |
2002-12-30 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Crystal on
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| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Crystal on December 25, 2002 |
| Abstract |
Tropical Cyclone Crystal approaches the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The storm packed sustained winds of 80 miles per hour with gusts up to 96 miles per hour. Mauritius is situated east of Madagascar off of the Africa's southeastern coast. This animation shows the storm's rain structure with 5 different isosurfaces. The first isosurface is grey and depicts areas with 0.5 inches of rain per hour. The second is light blue and reflects 1.0 inches of rain per hour. The third is green and shows 1.7 inches of rain per hour. The forth is yellow and represents 2.0 inches of rain per hour. The last isosurface is red and shows 2.2 inches or more of rain. |
| Completed |
2002-12-30 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Crystal on
…
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Crystal on December 25, 2002 |
| Abstract |
Tropical Cyclone Crystal approaches the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The storm packed sustained winds of 80 miles per hour with gusts up to 96 miles per hour. Mauritius is situated east of Madagascar off of the Africa's southeastern coast. This animation shows the storm's rain structure with 5 different isosurfaces. The first isosurface is grey and depicts areas with 0.5 inches of rain per hour. The second is light blue and reflects 1.0 inches of rain per hour. The third is green and shows 1.7 inches of rain per hour. The forth is yellow and represents 2.0 inches of rain per hour. The last isosurface is red and shows 2.2 inches or more of rain. |
| Completed |
2002-12-30 |
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Floods in Madagascar
| Title |
Floods in Madagascar |
| Description |
*Floods in Madagascar* Mud-rich water gushes off the northwestern shore of Madagascar in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Elita [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=11929 ] in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image acquired by the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 8, 2004. The storm first came ashore near this area on January 29. Elita drifted down the west coast, and then pulled back into the Mozambique Channel, where it hovered offshore for many days, dropping as much as 20 inches of rain in northwestern Madagascar. On February 3, Elita cut across the island for a second time, spinning out into the Indian Ocean on February 4. By the time the storm passed, 18,000 people were left homeless and 6 died, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The intense rains destroyed buildings and pushed rivers to overflowing. When this image was taken, four days after the storm had passed, the rivers were still swollen with reddish mud. A halo of green rings the coast where sediment has washed off the shores and is diffusing in the ocean water. The high resolution image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions, including MODIS? maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Floods in Southern Africa
| Title |
Floods in Southern Africa |
| Description |
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired these two images of the Zambezi River in central Mozambique in February 2007 just four days apart. Over the course of a weekend, floods along the lower Zambezi River in Mozambique spread to a nearby branch, the Cuecue River. According to local news reports released by the Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique, the floods along the Zambezi started to drop on February 20, though water levels on the lower Zambezi, shown here, remained high. As the top image shows, some of the water is draining into smaller offshoots along the river valley and into the Indian Ocean. These images use both visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between water and land. In this color combination, water is black or dark blue, while bare ground is tan and plant-covered land is green. Clouds are blue and white. The Sun's reflection off the surface of the water turns the river pale blue in the top image, and a web of flood water surrounds the dark line cut by the Zambezi River across the center of both images. South of the fresh floods on the Cuecue River, several dark spots along the Zambezi indicate additional flooding. To see daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Mozambique/2007051 ] of the flood area in central Mozambique, please visit the MODIS Rapid Response web site. The floods started when unusually early and heavy rain pounded southern Africa in January and February 2007. The rains triggered floods that affected nearly 170,000 people in Angola, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/YSAR-6YLNES?OpenDocument ]). In Mozambique, the United Nations and other organizations were providing food to more than 120,000 evacuees as of February 20, said OCHA. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Southern Africa
| Title |
Floods in Southern Africa |
| Description |
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired these two images of the Zambezi River in central Mozambique in February 2007 just four days apart. Over the course of a weekend, floods along the lower Zambezi River in Mozambique spread to a nearby branch, the Cuecue River. According to local news reports released by the Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique, the floods along the Zambezi started to drop on February 20, though water levels on the lower Zambezi, shown here, remained high. As the top image shows, some of the water is draining into smaller offshoots along the river valley and into the Indian Ocean. These images use both visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between water and land. In this color combination, water is black or dark blue, while bare ground is tan and plant-covered land is green. Clouds are blue and white. The Sun's reflection off the surface of the water turns the river pale blue in the top image, and a web of flood water surrounds the dark line cut by the Zambezi River across the center of both images. South of the fresh floods on the Cuecue River, several dark spots along the Zambezi indicate additional flooding. To see daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Mozambique/2007051 ] of the flood area in central Mozambique, please visit the MODIS Rapid Response web site. The floods started when unusually early and heavy rain pounded southern Africa in January and February 2007. The rains triggered floods that affected nearly 170,000 people in Angola, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/YSAR-6YLNES?OpenDocument ]). In Mozambique, the United Nations and other organizations were providing food to more than 120,000 evacuees as of February 20, said OCHA. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Cyclone Crystal Approaches M
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| Title |
Cyclone Crystal Approaches Mauritius |
| Description |
Packing sustained winds of 80 miles (128 km) per hour, with gusts of up to 97 miles (157 km) per hour, Cyclone Crystal was approaching the island of Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean on December 26, 2002. Mauritius is situated roughly 900 km (550 miles) due east of Madagascar, off Africa?s southeastern shore. This true-color image of Cyclone Crystal was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Aqua satellite. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
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Cyclone Guillaume Off Reunio
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| Title |
Cyclone Guillaume Off Reunion Island |
| Description |
Projected to weaken over the coming day, Cyclone Guillaume was still going strong in the Indian Ocean in this MODIS image made from data acquired at 10:20 am local time on Tuesday, February 19, 2002. Shown here to the northeast of the French island of R?union in the southwestern Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar, the outer bands of the storm clouds are obscuring the island of Mauritius northeast of R?union. The storm has been tracking slowly south-southeast, and should weaken as it moves farther south. As of Wednesday morning, February 20, maximum sustained winds were around 140 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 167 miles per hour. Waves were as high 24 feet. January and February are the peak cyclone months in the region, and Mauritius experiences on average about ten each season. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
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Cyclone Indlala Floods Madag
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| Title |
Cyclone Indlala Floods Madagascar |
| Description |
Cyclone Indlala hovered over northern Madagascar for the better part of three days after coming ashore on March 14, 2007, as a Category 3 storm. By March 18, the clouds had cleared enough to reveal the extensive flooding left in the storm's wake. These images, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, show the northern tip of the island country. The images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light, so that water is blue or black, clouds are pale blue and white, plant-covered land is green, and bare ground is tan. Rivers throughout the region are clearly swollen in the wake of the storm. The Xinhua News Agency [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/DHRV-6ZG4JY?OpenDocument ] reported that 14 people had died in the winds and floods, while approximately 14,000 people were affected. Cyclone season in the Southern Indian Ocean typically runs from November to March. The current season, 2006-2007, has proven to be very active. Indlala was the fourth storm to come ashore over Madagascar since December. Cyclone Bondo [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14052 ] struck in December 2006, Clovis [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14055 ] in January 2007, and Gamede [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14145 ] in February. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Madagascar/2007077 ] of Madagascar. |
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Cyclone Indlala Floods Madag
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| Title |
Cyclone Indlala Floods Madagascar |
| Description |
Cyclone Indlala hovered over northern Madagascar for the better part of three days after coming ashore on March 14, 2007, as a Category 3 storm. By March 18, the clouds had cleared enough to reveal the extensive flooding left in the storm's wake. These images, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, show the northern tip of the island country. The images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light, so that water is blue or black, clouds are pale blue and white, plant-covered land is green, and bare ground is tan. Rivers throughout the region are clearly swollen in the wake of the storm. The Xinhua News Agency [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/DHRV-6ZG4JY?OpenDocument ] reported that 14 people had died in the winds and floods, while approximately 14,000 people were affected. Cyclone season in the Southern Indian Ocean typically runs from November to March. The current season, 2006-2007, has proven to be very active. Indlala was the fourth storm to come ashore over Madagascar since December. Cyclone Bondo [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14052 ] struck in December 2006, Clovis [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14055 ] in January 2007, and Gamede [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14145 ] in February. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Madagascar/2007077 ] of Madagascar. |
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Heard Island Volcano
| Title |
Heard Island Volcano |
| Description |
Closer to Antarctica than any other major landmass, Heard Island sits in the far southern Indian Ocean two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. At the center of the remote, ice-covered island are the Big Ben massif, a large section of the Earth's crust that has been pushed up into a dense, rocky mountain by tectonic action, and an active volcano, Mawson Peak. The geologic activity that formed these features continues in the form of frequent eruptions from Mawson Peak. The volcano's current phase of activity began in May 2006, and it continued through December 2006, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. Made with both infrared and visible light, the image shows signs of volcanic activity on December 8, 2006. A glowing dot of red on Mawson Peak is thought to be a small lava lake in the summit crater. A fresh lava flow extends 700 meters east of the crater, creating a dark blue smudge on the otherwise even field of snow, which is blue-green in this false-color image. The rocky Big Ben Massif south of Mawson Peak similarly wrinkles the surface of the snow, though some of the apparent roughness may actually be icy clouds. Previous volcanic episodes, including those in 2000-2001 and 2003-2004, have lasted about a year. Due to its isolated location, Heard Island is rarely visited, and satellite imagery provides the only regular information on eruptive activity. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]. Image interpretation provided by Matt Patrick and Anna Colvin, Michigan Technological University. [ http://www.mtu.edu/ ] |
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Karthala Volcano in Comoros
…
| Title |
Karthala Volcano in Comoros Erupts |
| Description |
On November 24, 2005, Americans celebrated Thanksgiving. Halfway around the world, some 2,000 people fled their homes, hoping to escape the latest eruption of the Karthala Volcano. The volcano covered nearby villages in ash, and locals had little means of protecting their lungs besides covering their faces with scarves. As of November 28, one casualty (an infant) had been reported. Karthala is one of two volcanoes that make up Grand Comore (or Ngazidja) Island in the Comoros archipelago. These islands lie in the Indian Ocean, between Africa and Madagascar. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on November 25, 2005. In this image, Grand Comore appears only in outline as material from the eruption completely obscures the satellite's view of the land surface. The volcanic ash ranges in color from tan to beige. It has spread out around the volcano in all directions, but moves primarily eastward. With an altitude of 2,361 meters (7,746 feet), Karthala is a shield volcano, with smooth slopes built from hardened lava. Comprising the southern portion of Grand Comore Island, Karthala is a regular troublemaker in its neighborhood. The volcano has erupted about 20 times in the last century, most recently in April 2005 [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12834 ]. The November 2005 eruption caused fears of lava floods and poisonous gases. The volcano had showed signs of trouble for several days before the eruption, and the ground continued to rumble afterwards. Even after the volcano stopped erupting, trouble for the region was expected to continue. The November eruption fouled drinking water already made scarce by the region's dry season. According to news reports, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that almost 120,000 people were without clean drinking water after the volcano dropped ash into water cisterns. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Multiple Cyclones in the Ind
…
| Title |
Multiple Cyclones in the Indian Ocean |
| Description |
In the southern Indian Ocean, multiple tropical cyclones are still lined up east of Madagascar (far left) on February 13, 2003. This true-color image of three of the storms was made by combining alternating passes of the Terra and Aqua satellites. Over a four-hour-and-35-minute period, the Terra MODIS instrument collected (from right to left) sections two and four of the image (moving from east to west), and then Aqua MODIS collected sections one and three (also from east to west). Storms pictured are (west to east) Isha(formerly Tropical Cyclone 18S), Hape, and Gerry. The high-resolution image provided above is 1 kilometer per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at a spatial resolution of 500 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Multiple Cyclones in the Ind
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| Title |
Multiple Cyclones in the Indian Ocean |
| Description |
A train of four tropical cyclones is still lined up in the southern Indian Ocean east of Madagascar (left) on Feb. 12, 2003. This true-color image of the storms was made from observations collected by alternating passes of the Aqua and Terra satellites. The cyclones pictured are (west to east) Gerry, Hape, 18S, and Fiona. Each of the storms appears to have followed the track predicted for it at the time of the first image in the series, captured on Feb, 11. In this image, the storms are generally east or southeast of where there were previously. Terra passed over this area in the morning, moving east to west, and contributing the first and third chunks of the image (from right to left). Aqua passed over in the afternoon, also moving east to west, contributing the second and fourth chunks. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at a spatial resolution of 500 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Multiple Cyclones in the Ind
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| Title |
Multiple Cyclones in the Indian Ocean |
| Description |
In the southern Indian Ocean east of southern Africa and Madagascar (left), a train of four tropical cyclones has been captured in this true-color image made from observations collected by alternating passes of the Aqua and Terra satellites. The cyclones pictured are (west to east) Gerry, Hape, 18S, and Fiona. Each of these storms is in a different stage of development, though all are moving generally east or southeast. As of the morning of Feb. 12, Fiona was predicted to weaken and move toward the South Pole, 18S was predicted to intensify slowly as it moved southeast, Hape was predicted to move eastward and intensify, and Gerry was predicted to maintain its current intensity and move southeast. Terra passed over this area in the morning, moving east to west, and contributing the second and fourth chunks of the image (from right to left). Aqua passed over in the afternoon, also moving east to west, contributing the first and third chunks. The high-resolution image provided above is 1 kilometer per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at a spatial resolution of 500 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Réunion Island Volcano Erupt
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| Title |
Réunion Island Volcano Erupts |
| Description |
On January 16, 2002, lava that had begun flowing on January 5 from the Piton de la Fournaise volcano on the French island of R?union abruptly decreased, marking the end of the volcano?s most recent eruption. These false color MODIS images of R?union, located off the southeastern coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, were captured on the last day of the eruption (top) and two days later (bottom). The volcano itself is located on the southeast side of the island and is dark brown compared to the surrounding green vegetation. Beneath clouds (light blue) and smoke, MODIS detected the hot lava pouring down the volcano's flanks into the Indian Ocean. The heat, detected by MODIS at 2.1 æm, has been colored red in the January 16 image, and is absent from the lower image, taken two days later on January 18, suggesting the lava had cooled considerably even in that short time. Earthquake activity on the northeast flank continued even after the eruption had stopped, but by January 21 had dropped to a sufficiently low enough level that the 24-hour surveillance by the local observatory was suspended. R?union is essentially all volcano, with the northwest portion of the island built on the remains of an extinct volcano, and the southeast half built on the basaltic shield of 8,630-foot Piton de la Fournaise. A basaltic shield volcano is one with a broad, gentle slope built by the eruption of fluid basalt lava. Basalt lava flows easily across the ground remaining hot and fluid for long distances, and so they often result in enormous, low-angle cones. The Piton de la Fournaise is one of Earth?s most active volcanoes, erupting over 150 times in the last few hundred years, and it has been the subject of NASA research because of its likeness to the volcanoes of Mars. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina) |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Dina skirted the islands of Mauritius and Reunion to the north and west while continuing its trek over the southern Indian Ocean. Dina passed close enough to the islands to unleash damaging winds and soaking rains. On the southeast side of Mauritius, the main airport recorded peak wind gusts of 90-95 mph, and rainfall greater than 4.7 inches. Higher winds and heavier downpours likely lashed Port Louis on the storm-ward side of the island. Meanwhile, sustained winds reached 60 mph at Saint Denis, Reunion, with top wind gusts exceeding 75 mph. Early Wednesday (Jan 23) the storm was located about 500 miles to the east-northeast of Ft. Dauphin, Madagascar and had maximum sustained winds near 135 mph, with gusts approaching 160 mph. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina) |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Dina skirted the islands of Mauritius and Reunion to the north and west while continuing its trek over the southern Indian Ocean. Dina passed close enough to the islands to unleash damaging winds and soaking rains. On the southeast side of Mauritius, the main airport recorded peak wind gusts of 90-95 mph, and rainfall greater than 4.7 inches. Higher winds and heavier downpours likely lashed Port Louis on the storm-ward side of the island. Meanwhile, sustained winds reached 60 mph at Saint Denis, Reunion, with top wind gusts exceeding 75 mph. Early Wednesday (Jan 23) the storm was located about 500 miles to the east-northeast of Ft. Dauphin, Madagascar and had maximum sustained winds near 135 mph, with gusts approaching 160 mph. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
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Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina)
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 10s (Dina) |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone 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. |
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Tropical Cyclone Boloetse
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse was winding down on February 5, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at 10:45 UTC (1:45 p.m. local time). At this time, Boloetse was heading into the southern Indian Ocean after brushing against the southern end of Madagascar. The cyclone had sustained winds of around 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), classifying it as a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. This was less intense than the previous day [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13350 ], and forecasters were predicting the storm would continue to diminish in strength as it traveled southeast away from the African coast. Tropical Cyclone Boloetse initially formed in the western Indian Ocean and traveled west, crossing the island of Madagascar as a tropical storm in late January 2006, with moderately strong rains. The storm intensity declined to tropical-depression strength as it crossed the mountainous ridgeline that runs along the eastern shore of Madagascar. However, once the storm system reached the warm waters of the Mozambique Channel, the tropical depression re-organized and built up enough strength to become a tropical cyclone. Once there, the storm reversed direction and headed southeast, taking it across Madagascar once again. It struck a glancing blow over the island's southern tip on February 4, 2006. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Boloetse
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Boloetse crossed the island of Madagascar as a tropical storm in late January 2006, with moderately strong rains. The storm intensity declined to tropical-depression strength as it crossed the mountainous ridgeline that runs along the eastern shore of Madagascar. However, once the storm system reached the warm waters of the Mozambique Channel, the tropical depression reorganized and built up enough strength to become a tropical cyclone. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite observed Tropical Cyclone Boloetse in the Mozambique Channel on February 3, 2006, at 11:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. local time). At that time, the cyclone was beginning a south and eastward track, and it was predicted to strike a glancing blow along the southwestern corner of Madagascar as it moved back out into the Indian Ocean. The cyclone had sustained winds of around 165 kilometers per hour (105 miles per hour), classifying it as a Category 2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Storms of this strength typically cause moderate damage to coastal areas with storm surges around 1.5 to 2 meters (4 to 7 feet). Winds are sufficient to damage temporary structures such as trailers and sheds, and remove roofs from some permanent buildings. The large version of the image has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Other resolutions are also available from the MODIS Rapid Response website. NASA image created by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Tropical Cyclone Favio
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Favio |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Favio formed in the western Indian Ocean about 1,200 kilometers from Madagascar on February 14, 2007. It gradually moved southwest, passing well offshore of Reunion and Mauritius Islands. By February 20, it was just off the southern shore of Madagascar as a well-formed, mature storm. While the storm system had largely skirted around populated areas to that point, forecasters were concerned about its behavior as it entered the warmer waters of the Mozambique Channel. The storm was forecast to reach Category Four [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] strength before coming ashore and tracking inland through Zimbabwe and Zambia, bringing heavy rains to already flooded areas. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14115 ] This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 20, 2007, at 2:15 p.m. local time (11:15 UTC). The storm was turning north around the southern end of Madagscar, headed for the Mozambique Channel. Favio had the recognizable shape of a southern-hemisphere tropical cyclone, with spiral arms showing its clockwise rotation. The spiral arms are well-defined and tightly wound. A distinct eye at the center of the storm is only partially filled with clouds (a "partially closed" eye). These are all signs of a well-developed and powerful storm, consistent with the cyclone's strength. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http:/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3 www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Favio had steady winds of around 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) around the time MODIS made this observation. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Favio KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Feb2007/Favio.A2007051.1115.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Favio
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Favio |
| Description |
) 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/ ] |
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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/ ] |
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Tropical Cyclone Gafilo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo |
| Description |
Gafilo struck the northeast coast of Madagascar early on the morning of the 7th of March 2004 (LST) as a very powerful Category 5 cyclone with winds estimated at 160 mph. So far, at least 25 people have been reported dead on Madagascar not counting a further 111 feared drowned on a ferry that was lost in the storm and reported to have capsized in heavy seas by two survivors. After making landfall on the northeast coast, Gafilo cut across the northern part of the island moving southwest leaving as many as 100,000 people homeless in its wake before re-emerging over the waters of the Mozambique Channel on March 8th. Out over the channel, Gafilo recurved heading southeast. It briefly regaining Category 1 strength over open waters. The storm then made landfall again on the night of the 9th along the southwest coast of Madagascar and crossed the island yet again, this time over the southern part of the island. Gafilo is finally forecast to exit the southeast coastline of Madagascar on the evening of the 11th and head back out into the western Indian ocean as a weak tropical storm. 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 the period 3-10 March 2004 for the area over and around Madagascar. Cyclone symbols mark the 06Z positions of Gafilo along its path. As the storm approaches Madagascar from the east, the heaviest rainfall totals, on the order of 12 inches (orange-red areas), appear close to the center of the storm track. As the systems crosses land, the higher totals appear to the right of the storm track and are on the order of 15 inches of rain (red area) over the northern tip of Madagascar. The heaviest totals of up to 20 inches (darkest reds) stretch from the central Mozambique Channel eastward to along the northwest coastline of Madagascar. These totals appear to be associated with an intense, east-west oriented rainband that was observed by TRMM on March 8 (see the previous story on Gafilo) well north of the storm's center. Rainfall totals are significantly less though still on the order of 4 to 8 inches (green areas) over southern and central Madagascar. 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 Gafilo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo |
| Description |
Gafilo struck the northeast coast of Madagascar early on the morning of the 7th of March 2004 (LST) as a very powerful Category 5 cyclone with winds estimated at 160 mph. So far, at least 25 people have been reported dead on Madagascar not counting a further 111 feared drowned on a ferry that was lost in the storm and reported to have capsized in heavy seas by two survivors. After making landfall on the northeast coast, Gafilo cut across the northern part of the island moving southwest leaving as many as 100,000 people homeless in its wake before re-emerging over the waters of the Mozambique Channel on March 8th. Out over the channel, Gafilo recurved heading southeast. It briefly regaining Category 1 strength over open waters. The storm then made landfall again on the night of the 9th along the southwest coast of Madagascar and crossed the island yet again, this time over the southern part of the island. Gafilo is finally forecast to exit the southeast coastline of Madagascar on the evening of the 11th and head back out into the western Indian ocean as a weak tropical storm. 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 the period 3-10 March 2004 for the area over and around Madagascar. Cyclone symbols mark the 06Z positions of Gafilo along its path. As the storm approaches Madagascar from the east, the heaviest rainfall totals, on the order of 12 inches (orange-red areas), appear close to the center of the storm track. As the systems crosses land, the higher totals appear to the right of the storm track and are on the order of 15 inches of rain (red area) over the northern tip of Madagascar. The heaviest totals of up to 20 inches (darkest reds) stretch from the central Mozambique Channel eastward to along the northwest coastline of Madagascar. These totals appear to be associated with an intense, east-west oriented rainband that was observed by TRMM on March 8 (see the previous story on Gafilo) well north of the storm's center. Rainfall totals are significantly less though still on the order of 4 to 8 inches (green areas) over southern and central Madagascar. 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 Gafilo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo |
| Description |
The island of Madagascar, which was hit by Cyclone Elita back on the 29th of January, recently suffered a direct hit from Gafilo, a far more powerful storm rated as an intense Category 5 Cyclone at the time it made landfall on the island's northeast coastline. So far Gafilo has left 7 dead, 18 missing and up to 100,000 homeless on Madagascar. Gafilo began as a tropical depression back on the 29th of February 2004 in the central Indian Ocean south of Deigo Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago. Two days later on the 2nd of March, it became a tropical storm and continued moving west. Gafilo strengthened into a Category 1 cyclone the next day on the 3rd, and March 4th saw Gafilo continuing to intensify with winds increasing to 85 knots (98 mph) as estimated by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On the 5th, Gafilo began a cycle of rapid deepening with winds increasing to 125 knots (144 mph) making it a major Category 4 cyclone. It was now moving west-southwest headed straight for Madagascar. The next day, on the 6th of March 2004, Gafilo struck the northeast coast of Madagascar near to the town of Antalaha as a Category 5 cyclone, the highest possible rating, its sustained winds having further increased to an estimated 140 knots (161 mph). Ninety-five percent of Antalaha was reported destroyed. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured numerous, impressive images of Cyclone Gafilo covering most of it's life cycle as it traversed the western Indian Ocean. The first image (top left) was taken at 8:15 UTC on 4 March 2004. 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, and 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). In this first image, TRMM shows Gafilo to have a large, closed eye but only weak (blues) to moderate (green areas) rain rates immediately surround the center. A large rainband with some embedded heavier convection (darker red areas) wraps in towards the eye from the storm's northwest quadrant. At the time, Gafilo was already rated a Category 1 cyclone with winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph). The next image (top right) taken at 17:10 UTC on March 5 reveals a very different looking Gafilo. The eye has become smaller, and the surrounding eyewall is now composed almost entirely of heavy (reds) to intense (darker reds) rain rates of up to 2-inches per hour. Tropical cyclones act like large heat engines. Their fuel comes from the transformation of water vapor in the atmosphere. As water vapor condenses into the tiny cloud droplets that eventually form the precipitation, heat is released. This heat, known as latent heat, is what drives the storm's circulation. In general, the more heating that occurs, the more intense the storm will, become. This heating is most effective in driving the storm if it is occurs near its center as TRMM shows is the case shown here with Gafilo. At this time, Gafilo was a powerful Category 4 storm with winds estimated at 125 knots (144 mph). The third (bottom left) image was taken at 8:02 UTC March 6th as Gafilo was approaching the coast of Madagascar and shows a tropical cyclone at its most mature, intense stage. The storm now has a very tight, very small eye with a nearly perfectly symmetrical eyewall containing a near-uniform concentric ring of intense rain rates (dark reds). The storm is now at Category 5, and the winds are at 140 knots (161 mph). The final image (bottom right) shows Gafilo in the Mozambique Channel after the storm had crossed the entire northern half of Madagascar. Taken at 7:47 UTC on the 8th, with the circulation having been disrupted by land and topography and its supply of water vapor essentially cutoff, the eye is now totally gone with no visible eyewall present. A large rainband with a broad area of intense (dark reds) to moderate (green areas) rain remains, extending from the central part of the Mozambique Channel eastward into western Madagascar north of the storm's center. Gafilo had now been downgraded to a tropical storm with remaining winds estimated at 55 knots (63 mph). 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 Gafilo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo |
| Description |
The island of Madagascar, which was hit by Cyclone Elita back on the 29th of January, recently suffered a direct hit from Gafilo, a far more powerful storm rated as an intense Category 5 Cyclone at the time it made landfall on the island's northeast coastline. So far Gafilo has left 7 dead, 18 missing and up to 100,000 homeless on Madagascar. Gafilo began as a tropical depression back on the 29th of February 2004 in the central Indian Ocean south of Deigo Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago. Two days later on the 2nd of March, it became a tropical storm and continued moving west. Gafilo strengthened into a Category 1 cyclone the next day on the 3rd, and March 4th saw Gafilo continuing to intensify with winds increasing to 85 knots (98 mph) as estimated by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On the 5th, Gafilo began a cycle of rapid deepening with winds increasing to 125 knots (144 mph) making it a major Category 4 cyclone. It was now moving west-southwest headed straight for Madagascar. The next day, on the 6th of March 2004, Gafilo struck the northeast coast of Madagascar near to the town of Antalaha as a Category 5 cyclone, the highest possible rating, its sustained winds having further increased to an estimated 140 knots (161 mph). Ninety-five percent of Antalaha was reported destroyed. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured numerous, impressive images of Cyclone Gafilo covering most of it's life cycle as it traversed the western Indian Ocean. The first image (top left) was taken at 8:15 UTC on 4 March 2004. 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, and 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). In this first image, TRMM shows Gafilo to have a large, closed eye but only weak (blues) to moderate (green areas) rain rates immediately surround the center. A large rainband with some embedded heavier convection (darker red areas) wraps in towards the eye from the storm's northwest quadrant. At the time, Gafilo was already rated a Category 1 cyclone with winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph). The next image (top right) taken at 17:10 UTC on March 5 reveals a very different looking Gafilo. The eye has become smaller, and the surrounding eyewall is now composed almost entirely of heavy (reds) to intense (darker reds) rain rates of up to 2-inches per hour. Tropical cyclones act like large heat engines. Their fuel comes from the transformation of water vapor in the atmosphere. As water vapor condenses into the tiny cloud droplets that eventually form the precipitation, heat is released. This heat, known as latent heat, is what drives the storm's circulation. In general, the more heating that occurs, the more intense the storm will, become. This heating is most effective in driving the storm if it is occurs near its center as TRMM shows is the case shown here with Gafilo. At this time, Gafilo was a powerful Category 4 storm with winds estimated at 125 knots (144 mph). The third (bottom left) image was taken at 8:02 UTC March 6th as Gafilo was approaching the coast of Madagascar and shows a tropical cyclone at its most mature, intense stage. The storm now has a very tight, very small eye with a nearly perfectly symmetrical eyewall containing a near-uniform concentric ring of intense rain rates (dark reds). The storm is now at Category 5, and the winds are at 140 knots (161 mph). The final image (bottom right) shows Gafilo in the Mozambique Channel after the storm had crossed the entire northern half of Madagascar. Taken at 7:47 UTC on the 8th, with the circulation having been disrupted by land and topography and its supply of water vapor essentially cutoff, the eye is now totally gone with no visible eyewall present. A large rainband with a broad area of intense (dark reds) to moderate (green areas) rain remains, extending from the central part of the Mozambique Channel eastward into western Madagascar north of the storm's center. Gafilo had now been downgraded to a tropical storm with remaining winds estimated at 55 knots (63 mph). 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 Gafilo
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo |
| Description |
The island of Madagascar, which was hit by Cyclone Elita back on the 29th of January, recently suffered a direct hit from Gafilo, a far more powerful storm rated as an intense Category 5 Cyclone at the time it made landfall on the island's northeast coastline. So far Gafilo has left 7 dead, 18 missing and up to 100,000 homeless on Madagascar. Gafilo began as a tropical depression back on the 29th of February 2004 in the central Indian Ocean south of Deigo Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago. Two days later on the 2nd of March, it became a tropical storm and continued moving west. Gafilo strengthened into a Category 1 cyclone the next day on the 3rd, and March 4th saw Gafilo continuing to intensify with winds increasing to 85 knots (98 mph) as estimated by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On the 5th, Gafilo began a cycle of rapid deepening with winds increasing to 125 knots (144 mph) making it a major Category 4 cyclone. It was now moving west-southwest headed straight for Madagascar. The next day, on the 6th of March 2004, Gafilo struck the northeast coast of Madagascar near to the town of Antalaha as a Category 5 cyclone, the highest possible rating, its sustained winds having further increased to an estimated 140 knots (161 mph). Ninety-five percent of Antalaha was reported destroyed. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured numerous, impressive images of Cyclone Gafilo covering most of it's life cycle as it traversed the western Indian Ocean. The first image (top left) was taken at 8:15 UTC on 4 March 2004. 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, and 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). In this first image, TRMM shows Gafilo to have a large, closed eye but only weak (blues) to moderate (green areas) rain rates immediately surround the center. A large rainband with some embedded heavier convection (darker red areas) wraps in towards the eye from the storm's northwest quadrant. At the time, Gafilo was already rated a Category 1 cyclone with winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph). The next image (top right) taken at 17:10 UTC on March 5 reveals a very different looking Gafilo. The eye has become smaller, and the surrounding eyewall is now composed almost entirely of heavy (reds) to intense (darker reds) rain rates of up to 2-inches per hour. Tropical cyclones act like large heat engines. Their fuel comes from the transformation of water vapor in the atmosphere. As water vapor condenses into the tiny cloud droplets that eventually form the precipitation, heat is released. This heat, known as latent heat, is what drives the storm's circulation. In general, the more heating that occurs, the more intense the storm will, become. This heating is most effective in driving the storm if it is occurs near its center as TRMM shows is the case shown here with Gafilo. At this time, Gafilo was a powerful Category 4 storm with winds estimated at 125 knots (144 mph). The third (bottom left) image was taken at 8:02 UTC March 6th as Gafilo was approaching the coast of Madagascar and shows a tropical cyclone at its most mature, intense stage. The storm now has a very tight, very small eye with a nearly perfectly symmetrical eyewall containing a near-uniform concentric ring of intense rain rates (dark reds). The storm is now at Category 5, and the winds are at 140 knots (161 mph). The final image (bottom right) shows Gafilo in the Mozambique Channel after the storm had crossed the entire northern half of Madagascar. Taken at 7:47 UTC on the 8th, with the circulation having been disrupted by land and topography and its supply of water vapor essentially cutoff, the eye is now totally gone with no visible eyewall present. A large rainband with a broad area of intense (dark reds) to moderate (green areas) rain remains, extending from the central part of the Mozambique Channel eastward into western Madagascar north of the storm's center. Gafilo had now been downgraded to a tropical storm with remaining winds estimated at 55 knots (63 mph). 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 Gamede
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gamede |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Gamede was in the western Indian Ocean off the shore of Madagascar on February 26, 2007. This powerful storm had been moving southward parallel to the eastern coast of Madagascar for two days at this time, bringing heavy rains and strong surf to Madagascar and the two major Mascarene Islands, Reunion and Mauritius. The storm seemed to be staying away from settled areas, but reports from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] and U.K. Accuweather [ http://ukie.accuweather.com/ ] noted strong surf on the coast and island shorelines, as well as heavy rain. This same area was brushed by Cyclone Favio [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14136 ] just days before, and it suffered a series of severe storms and cyclones in preceding months. Unlike Favio, Gamede was predicted to continue on its generally southward track and not turn towards mainland Africa. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 26, 2007, at 11:50 a.m. local time (9:50 UTC). The storm was a mature and powerful tropical cyclone, with a well-defined eye at its center and far-reaching, tightly wound spiral arms. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Cylone Gamede has sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (110 miles per hour) around the eyewall at the time this image was acquired. Forecasts at the time called for the storm to avoid landfall, but to continue its grazing path between the Mascarene Islands and Madagascar, with winds continuing to intensify as the storm traveled south over warm waters. NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Gamede
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gamede |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Gamede was sitting in the western Indian Ocean off the shore of Madagascar on February 25, 2007. This powerful storm had been bringing heavy rains and strong surf to eastern Madagascar and the two major Mascarene Islands of Reunion and Mauritius. No settled land areas were experiencing the full brunt of of the sustained winds in the eyewall of the storm (reported at 195 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ]) but damaging winds of 60 to 100 km/hr were recorded on the islands. One rainfall gauge measured totals as high as 47 centimeters over the three days Gamede was in the area, according to U.K. Accuweather. [ http://ukie.accuweather.com/ ] This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 25, 2007, at 11:50 a.m. local time (9:50 UTC), as the storm sat in the region between the small islands and Madagascar. At that time, it appeared the storm would head roughly south, bringing more winds and rain to the Mascarene Islands but not coming ashore onto Madagascar. Since the island had been pummeled by a series of tropical cyclones and storms in preceding months, Gamede was being watched with great care and concern by residents of the islands. The image provided above is at 1 kilometer resolution, less than the full level of detail possible from the MODIS instrument. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007056-0225/ ] Their image collection also includes the distant, but neighboring Cyclone Humba in the central Indian Ocean. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
|
Tropical Cyclone Jaya
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Jaya |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Jaya came ashore in northern Madagascar in the morning of April 2, 2007 at around 11:00 a.m. local time (08:00 UTC). The storm formed in the Indian Ocean on March 30 and traveled westward toward Madagascar as predicted. What was not predicted, however, was its explosive growth in power from a strong tropical storm to a powerful Category 3 cyclone [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] in just 36 hours, according to figures provided by the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html ]Fortunately, the intensification took place while Jaya was still far from Madagascar. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on April 3, 2007, at 1:15 p.m. local time (10:15 UTC). The storm was a tropical cyclone with a circular shape, but no distinct eye at its center. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Cyclone Jaya's sustained winds had fallen in strength to roughly 125 kilometers per hour (80 mph) at the time this image was acquired. When the storm made landfall on Madagascar, sustained winds were around 150 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour), a marked change from 200 km/hr (125 mph) just twelve hours earlier. While much weakened, Jaya remained a powerful storm. Furthermore, it struck the northern part of Madagascar where a series of other cyclones have also come ashore in recent months. Forecasters were concerned that Jaya might reform after crossing the island and head inland into Mozambique, where residents are recovering from floods caused by recent heavy rains. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007093-0403/Jaya.A2007093.1015 ] You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Jaya KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Apr2007/Jaya.A2007093.1015.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Kesiny
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Kesiny |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Kesiny can be seen over the Indian Ocean in this true color image taken on May 6, 2002, at 6:45 UTC by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modarch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft. When this image was taken, the cyclone was several hundred miles east of northern Madagascar and packing winds of up to 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour. As the cyclone continues its approach southwest into Madagascar, it is forecast to increase in intensity and generate sustained winds of up to 139 kilometers (86 miles) per hour. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Manou hits
…
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Manou hits Madagascar |
| Description |
Tropical Storm Manou is bearing down on the east coast of Madagascar in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite on May 7, 2003. As of the morning of May 8, the eye of the storm was about 40 miles off the coast Madagascar. Manou was expected to intensify briefly before making landfall, weaken a bit as it moved southward along the coast, and then head back out over the southern Indian Ocean, where it will intensify once again. As of the morning of May 8, the storm had sustained winds of 71 miles per hour. The rainy season in Madagascar is typically November-April, during which time the island, which is located off the southeastern tip of Africa, is subject to tropical cyclones, averaging about 4 per year. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Manou hits
…
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Manou hits Madagascar |
| Description |
This image from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite on May 8, 2003, shows Tropical Cyclone Manou as it made landfall over Madagascar and moved slowly southward along the east coast. In this view, the path of the satellite cuts across Madagascar as a dark gray swath. The outermost part of the swath sweeps out the scanning path of the TRMM Microwave Imager, which detects ice particles in the top of Manou's outer rain bands (shown in yellow). The innermost swath shows rain intensity as measured by the Precipitation Radar, with red colors indicating the heaviest rain rates, in excess of several inches per hour. Note the well-defined eye in the center of the storm and the intense rains in the surrounding eyewall. With the core of Manou's circulation moving along the coastline, vast amounts of rain are being deposited on the nation. The potential for serious flooding over this country is particularly high, as many of the steep mountain slopes are deforested and thus quite prone to runoff and mudslides. Madagascar, located in the Indian Ocean southeast of Africa, averages about four tropical cyclones each rainy season between November and April. The TRMM satellite was jointly built by NASA and the Japanese space agency NASDA. Views of other 2003 and 2002 tropical cyclones can be found at the TRMM Website. These images were created by Hal Pierce of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Madagascar Totality
| Title |
Madagascar Totality |
| Explanation |
When the Moon's shadow reached out and touched Earth's southern hemisphere on 2001 June 21, the first total solar eclipse [ http://www.MrEclipse.com/TSE01reports/TSE01Espenak.html ] of the 21st century began. Starting in the Atlantic, the dark, central lunar shadow or umbra traced a path which crossed southern Africa and the large island of Madagascar [ http://www.astronomicaltours.net/Mad/ ] before ending at sunset in the Indian Ocean. Of course, as the lunar disk blocked the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990818.html ] the total phase offered splendid views of the elusive outer solar corona. But, as seen in this stunning telescopic view from southern Madagascar, it also revealed an active solar limb [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010301.html ] bristling with pinkish, planet-sized prominences. Taken as totality [ http://www.astronomicaltours.net/Mad/eclipse/photos/ index.htm ] began, this image of the last bright rays of sunlight shining through dips and valleys in irregular lunar terrain gives the illusion of a glittering jewel [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010621.html ] set in a pink celestial ring. |
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Tropical Cyclone Jaya: Natur
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Jaya came a
…
jaya_amo_2007093
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-04-03 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
jaya_amo_2007093 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Gamede: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Gamede was
…
gamede_amo_2007056
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-02-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
gamede_amo_2007056 |
|
Floods in Southern Africa: N
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
Mozambique_AMO_2007051
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-02-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Mozambique_AMO_2007051 |
|
Deforestation in Madagascar:
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
All over the world humans st
…
madagascar_change
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003 |
| creator |
NASA -- Base image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC. Image overlay by Ned Gardiner, sciencebulletins.amnh.org American Museum of Natural History , based on data provided by Marc Steininger, Conservation International. For additional information or digital data, contact Marc Steininger . |
| identifier |
madagascar_change |
|
Multiple Cyclones in the Ind
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A train of four tropical cyc
…
FourCyclones.A2003043
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-02-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
FourCyclones.A2003043 |
|
Cyclone Gula: Natural Hazard
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This image shows two cyclone
…
gula_trmm_2008029
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-01-29 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
gula_trmm_2008029 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Favio: Natu
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
favio_TRM_2007053
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-02-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
favio_TRM_2007053 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Gamede: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Gamede was
…
gamede_tmo_2007058
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-07-27 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
gamede_tmo_2007058 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Gamede: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Gamede was
…
gamede_tmo_2007058
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-07-27 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
gamede_tmo_2007058 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Favio: Natu
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Favio forme
…
favio_amo_2007051
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-02-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
favio_amo_2007051 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Gafilo: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The MODIS instrument onboard
…
terra_tsgafilo_03mar04
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-03-03 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
terra_tsgafilo_03mar04 |
|
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