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January 2, 2011 - Tropical Cyclone Tasha over northeastern Australia
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A fading Tropical Cyclone Tasha swirled over Queensland, Australia on December 25, 2010, bringing strong wind and heavy rains to the region. This true-color image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on the same day. In the image, the bright white clouds indicate the areas of strongest thunderstorms and heaviest rains.
On Dec. 24, Tropical Storm Tasha formed quickly as it headed for landfall. At 1800 UTC (4 a.m. on Dec. 25 local time –Brisbane/Australia), Tasha was near 17.1S 146.3E, about 35 nautical miles east-southeast of Cairns with maximum sustained winds near 39 mph. At that time a NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite image showed banding of thunderstorms and the storm was becoming more organized.
Later that same day, the Australia Bureau of Meteorology issued a Severe Weather Warning, calling for "damaging winds, heavy rainfall and further flooding for people about the Queensland coast, ranges and adjacent inland areas between Cardwell and St Lawrence." In addition, a High Surf Warning was posted.
Maximum sustained winds reached 75 km/hr (45 mph) before landfall, making Tropical Cyclone Tasha a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. These winds were sustained as Tasha made landfall, at about 19:15 UTC on Dec. 24 (5:15 a.m. Dec. 25 local time) on the coast south of Cairns, near Gordonvale.
After making landfall, the storm quickly weakened to a tropical low. Although the winds were not extreme, the storm cut power to at least 7,000 homes and caused widespread flooding due to heavy rainfall. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), some areas reported 200 mm (7.9 inches) of rain in the first 24 hours alone, and the rising floodwaters isolated several towns by closing surrounding roads.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/25/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
A fading Tropical Cyclone Tasha swirled over Queensland, Australia on December 25, 2010, bringing strong wind and heavy rains to the region. This true-color image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on the same day. In the image, the bright white clouds indicate the areas of strongest thunderstorms and heaviest rains.
On Dec. 24, Tropical Storm Tasha formed quickly as it headed for landfall. At 1800 UTC (4 a.m. on Dec. 25 local time –Brisbane/Australia), Tasha was near 17.1S 146.3E, about 35 nautical miles east-southeast of Cairns with maximum sustained winds near 39 mph. At that time a NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite image showed banding of thunderstorms and the storm was becoming more organized.
Later that same day, the Australia Bureau of Meteorology issued a Severe Weather Warning, calling for "damaging winds, heavy rainfall and further flooding for people about the Queensland coast, ranges and adjacent inland areas between Cardwell and St Lawrence." In addition, a High Surf Warning was posted.
Maximum sustained winds reached 75 km/hr (45 mph) before landfall, making Tropical Cyclone Tasha a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. These winds were sustained as Tasha made landfall, at about 19:15 UTC on Dec. 24 (5:15 a.m. Dec. 25 local time) on the coast south of Cairns, near Gordonvale.
After making landfall, the storm quickly weakened to a tropical low. Although the winds were not extreme, the storm cut power to at least 7,000 homes and caused widespread flooding due to heavy rainfall. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), some areas reported 200 mm (7.9 inches) of rain in the first 24 hours alone, and the rising floodwaters isolated several towns by closing surrounding roads.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/25/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
