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December 15, 2020 - Tropical Cyclone Yasa
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On December 14, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image Tropical Cyclone Yasa spinning in the South Pacific Ocean. The storm is intensifying as it heads towards a potential landfall in Fiji.
According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JWTC), at 2100 UTC (4:00 p.m. EST) December 14, Yasa was located about 457 miles (735 km) west-northwest of Suva, island of Viti Levu, Fiji. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 80 knots (92 mph/148 kph), making it a Category Three storm on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. Only a few hours later, at 0133 UTC (8:30 p.m. EST), Fiji Met Service had upgraded the storm to a Category Four storm and forecast that Yasa would reach Category Five status within 72 hours.
The JTWC also forecasts that Tropical Cyclone Yasa will continue to intensify, reaching 132 mph (185 km/h) by December 16. The current track has the storm passing between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, Fiji sometime in the period of December 16 – 18. However, they warn that a complex steering environment gives a 200 mile across track spread in model solutions on December 18. Other forecasts, notably that by the Joint Research Center (JRC), European Union, predict a landfall on Viti Levu between December 17-18.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/14/20202
Resolutions:
1km (545.7 KB), 500m (1.7 MB), 250m (4.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On December 14, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image Tropical Cyclone Yasa spinning in the South Pacific Ocean. The storm is intensifying as it heads towards a potential landfall in Fiji.
According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JWTC), at 2100 UTC (4:00 p.m. EST) December 14, Yasa was located about 457 miles (735 km) west-northwest of Suva, island of Viti Levu, Fiji. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 80 knots (92 mph/148 kph), making it a Category Three storm on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. Only a few hours later, at 0133 UTC (8:30 p.m. EST), Fiji Met Service had upgraded the storm to a Category Four storm and forecast that Yasa would reach Category Five status within 72 hours.
The JTWC also forecasts that Tropical Cyclone Yasa will continue to intensify, reaching 132 mph (185 km/h) by December 16. The current track has the storm passing between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, Fiji sometime in the period of December 16 – 18. However, they warn that a complex steering environment gives a 200 mile across track spread in model solutions on December 18. Other forecasts, notably that by the Joint Research Center (JRC), European Union, predict a landfall on Viti Levu between December 17-18.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/14/20202
Resolutions:
1km (545.7 KB), 500m (1.7 MB), 250m (4.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
