[image-78]NASA Satellite Catches Birth of Tropical Cyclone Deliwe
The tropical depression southwest of Madagascar on January 16 developed into a tropical cyclone early on January 17 as NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead and captured its birth.
When Aqua passed over newborn Tropical Cyclone Deliwe on January 17 at 10:55 UTC/5:55 a.m. EST the MODIS instrument or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer took a picture of it. Deliwe was previously known as Tropical Depression 09S. In the MODIS image bands of thunderstorms stretched west into the Mozambique Channel and south into the Southern Indian Ocean.
Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center using multispectral satellite imagery indicated that Deliwe has a well-defined low-level center of circulation.
On January 17 at 0900 UTC/4 a.m. EST, Deliwe had maximum sustained winds near 45 knots/51.8 mph/ 83.3 kph. It was centered near 23.8 south and 42.0 east, about 375 nautical miles/431.5 miles/694.5 km southwest of Antananarivo, Madagascar. Deliwe is moving to the south-southwest. Deliwe is moving along the western edge of a subtropical ridge of high pressure centered east of Madagascar. As a new subtropical ridge of high pressure builds in west of the tropical cyclone, it is expected to turn and steer Deliwe to the northwest.
Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect Deliwe to move southwest and then curve northwest. Computer models indicate that vertical wind shear is expected to increase after a day, and the tropical cyclone could dissipate in four days or before that.
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
[image-51]Jan. 16, 2014 - NASA Catches Development of Tropical Cyclone 09S in Southern Indian Ocean
The ninth tropical cyclone of the Southern Indian Ocean season was born hours after NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead and gathered important infrared data on the developing storm.
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over System 95S on January 15 at 21:59 UTC/4:59 p.m. EST and saw two large areas of powerful thunderstorms within the developing low pressure area. Thunderstorms with cloud top temperatures exceeding -63F/-52C indicated powerful uplift in the low pressure area.
System 95S consolidated and organized more by 1500 UTC/10 a.m. EST on January 16 to be classified as Tropical Cyclone 09S. At that time, 09S was centered near 20.2 south latitude and 43.4 east longitude, about 215 nautical miles/247.4 miles/398.2 km west-southwest of Antananarivo, Madagascar, and just off the west coast of Madagascar, over the southern Mozambique Channel. The channel is an area of water that lies between the island nation of Madagascar and the country of Mozambique on the African Continent. Tropical Cyclone 09S was moving to the southwest at 10 knots/11.5 mph/18.5 kph and had maximum sustained winds near 35 knots/40 mph/62 kph.
Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect 09S to strengthen to 50 knots/57.5 mph/92.6 kph and turn to the northwest, bringing gusty winds and rainfall from southeastern to east-central Mozambique over the next several days. By January 21, Tropical Cyclone 09S is expected to make landfall in east central Mozambique near Quelimane.
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
