• MODIS Pic of the Day 26 March 2022

    From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Saturday, March 26, 2022 12:00:38
    March 26, 2022 - Tropical Cyclone Halima

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    Halima
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    Tropical Cyclone Halima formed on March 23, 2022, over the southwestern
    Indian Ocean east of Mauritius. Under favorable environmental
    conditions (warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear), Halima
    explosively intensified on March 25 to become a Category 4 storm on the
    Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with maximum sustained winds of
    about 138 mph (222 km/h).

    According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), by 0300 UTC on
    March 26 (11:00 p.m. EDT on March 25), the storm’s maximum sustained
    winds had dropped to 127 mph (204 km/h), bringing it to Category 3
    strength. At that time, Tropical Cyclone Halima was located about 569
    mi (916 km) south of Diego Garcia and was moving southward. The storm
    currently sits over cool water upwelling, but will once again move over
    warmer waters, allowing some strengthening in the next day, but then is
    expected to encounter stronger vertical wind shear as it moves south.
    The wind shear will weaken the storm as well as cause it to arc east to
    northeastward over the following several days as the storm
    substantially weakens. Fortunately, Halima will travel through open
    ocean and is not expected to cause hazards to land.

    The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
    NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of Tropical Cyclone
    Halima on March 25 as the storm was intensifying to become the fourth
    major storm of this year’s South-West Indian Ocean hurricane season.
    Halima sported a small cloud-free eye and was a compact storm with
    moderate convective bands wrapping around the eye. It also appears
    asymmetric, suggesting some wind shear at the time the image was
    captured.

    Image Facts
    Satellite: Aqua
    Date Acquired: 3/25/2022
    Resolutions: 1km (498.9 KB), 500m (1.5 MB), 250m (4.1 MB)
    Bands Used: 1,4,3
    Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



    https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-03-26

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