NASA MODIS Image of the Day: February 21, 2013 – Tropical Cyclone Haley (14P) in the South Pacific Ocean
The short-lived Tropical Cyclone Haley was just forming in the South Pacific Ocean when NASA’s Terra satellite passed overhead in early February, 2013 and caught a glimpse of the action. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard that satellite captured this true-color image on February 9 at 2020 UTC (3:20 p.m. EST). At that time, the storm had a circular center with banding features, clues that the low pressure system was rapidly gaining organization. The low became Tropical Storm Haley on February 10, and was located over open waters of the South Pacific Ocean about 374 miles (602 km) south-southwest of Bora Bora, Society Islands, French Polynesia. Maximum sustained winds quickly reached 45 knots (51.7 mph/83.3 kph). Haley lost power nearly as quickly as it had strengthened. On February 11, at 0300 UTC, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued its final advisory on Tropical Cyclone Haley. At that time, Haley’s center was located near 24.8 south latitude and 150.0 west longitude, about 575.4 miles/926 km southeast of Bora Bora, Society Islands. Haley was moving to the southeast at 12.6 mph (20.3 kph). As a result of wind shear and cooler sea surface temperatures, Haley’s maximum sustained winds had already dropped to about 40 mph (65 kph) at that time.
