NASA MODIS Image of the Day: February 18, 2012 – Tropical Cyclone 12S (Giovanna (12S) over Madagascar
Cyclone Giovanna crossed over the island of Madagascar leaving flooding and damages in its wake, then entered the Mozambique Channel.
On February 15, 2012, the storm showed a ragged eye as it regained strength in the warm Channel waters.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image at 10:45 UTC (5:45 EST) that same day. Earlier, at 0300 UTC, Tropical Storm Giovanna’s maximum sustained winds were near 40 knots (46 mph/74 kph), and the center was located approximately 250 nautical miles west-southwest of Antananarivo, Madagascar, near 20.8 South and 42.4 East. It was moving to the west-southwest at 13 knots (15 mph/24 kph). When Tropical Cyclone Giovanna came ashore in eastern Madagascar,it brought high winds and heavy precipitation. Flooding affected multiple neighborhoods in the capital city of Antananarivo and surrounding areas. As of February 15, 2012, the death toll stood at 16. At 1500 UTC on February 17, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued a warning, which predicted the storm is on a generally eastwards track, heading towards landfall in southern Madagascar as a strengthening storm before quickly dissipating over land. However, some subsequent model runs are hinting that Giovanna could track south of Madagascar, and dissipate further out over the southwestern Indian Ocean.
