NASA MODIS Image of the Day: March 14, 2012 – Tropical Cyclone Lua (17S) over Western Australia
On March 13, 2012 Tropical Cyclone Lua (17S) hovered over Western Australia.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image at 0245 UTC (10:45 a.
m. Western Standard Time) as it passed over the storm. The highest and strongest thunderstorms appear to be on the southern side of the circulation. The highest storms can be seen casting shadows on the lower surrounding clouds. Tropical cyclone Lua formed off the northern coast of Western Australia. On March 13, it was a minimum tropical storm with maximum sustained winds near 35 knots (~40 mph/~65 kph) and was located about 240 miles west-northwest of Port Hedland, Australia. It was barely moving at 2 knots (~2 mph/~4 kph) to the west-northwest, but is expected to turn to the east-southeast. Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect Lua to meander for a day or two before intensifying and making landfall in the Pilbara region sometime on March 16. There are currently no warnings posted for Tropical Storm Lua, but that is likely to change over the next couple of days.
