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February 8, 2026 - Tropical Cyclone Mitchell Soaks Western Australia
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Tropical Cyclone Mitchell was just forming off the coast of Western Australia on February 6, 2026, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image.
Near this time, Mitchell’s maximum sustained winds were only about 35 miles per hour (56 km/h). Just 24 hours later, on the morning of February 7, maximum sustained winds had increased to 90 miles per hour (145 km/h), placing it the equivalent of Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
As it was strengthening, Mitchell travelled parallel to the coast of Australia north of Dampier, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and high tides to coastal Pilbara region. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) reported that Varanus Island received 91 millimeters (3.6 in) of rain in the last 24 hours, while 75 millimeters (2.9 in) fell in Upper Portland and 66 millimeters (2.6 in) fell Karratha. Wind gusts as high as 117 kilometers per hour (73 mph) were recorded in Varanus Island.
Tropical Cyclone Mitchell is forecast to make landfall on the northeastern coast of the Exmouth Gulf, southwest of Onslow, on February 8. It is then likely to move back over water briefly before curving to the southeast to move over land again somewhere near Carnarvon. The BOM has issued a Tropical Cyclone Warning for the far western edge of Western Australia, from Karratha to Cape Cuvier. The storm is likely to trigger flooding, take down trees, and cause power outages, especially near Onslow and near the Exmouth Gulf.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 2/6/2026
Resolutions:
1km (1.1 MB), 500m (3 MB), 250m (4.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Tropical Cyclone Mitchell was just forming off the coast of Western Australia on February 6, 2026, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image.
Near this time, Mitchell’s maximum sustained winds were only about 35 miles per hour (56 km/h). Just 24 hours later, on the morning of February 7, maximum sustained winds had increased to 90 miles per hour (145 km/h), placing it the equivalent of Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
As it was strengthening, Mitchell travelled parallel to the coast of Australia north of Dampier, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and high tides to coastal Pilbara region. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) reported that Varanus Island received 91 millimeters (3.6 in) of rain in the last 24 hours, while 75 millimeters (2.9 in) fell in Upper Portland and 66 millimeters (2.6 in) fell Karratha. Wind gusts as high as 117 kilometers per hour (73 mph) were recorded in Varanus Island.
Tropical Cyclone Mitchell is forecast to make landfall on the northeastern coast of the Exmouth Gulf, southwest of Onslow, on February 8. It is then likely to move back over water briefly before curving to the southeast to move over land again somewhere near Carnarvon. The BOM has issued a Tropical Cyclone Warning for the far western edge of Western Australia, from Karratha to Cape Cuvier. The storm is likely to trigger flooding, take down trees, and cause power outages, especially near Onslow and near the Exmouth Gulf.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 2/6/2026
Resolutions:
1km (1.1 MB), 500m (3 MB), 250m (4.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
