Monster Cyclone Yasi
Eyes Australia in NASA Image
by NASA
 Mass evacuations are underway in the northeastern Australian state of
Queensland in anticipation of what forecasters expect will be the
largest cyclone ever to hit the continent. Yasi has intensified rapidly
and currently has winds gusting up to 295 kilometers per hour (183 mph).
It is expected to maintain that intensity—equivalent to a Category
Five hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale--until landfall in
northeastern Queensland between Cairns and Innisfail during the late
evening local time on Feb. 2 (early morning Feb. 2 in the United
States).
Shown here is the latest infrared image of Yasi from the Atmospheric
Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite, built and
managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. It was
taken on Feb. 1, 2011, at 7:17 a.m. PST (10:17 a.m. EST). A distinct eye
is visible, and the outer bands of the storm can be seen nearing the
Australian coast.
The AIRS data create an accurate 3-D map of atmospheric temperature,
water vapor and clouds, data that are useful to forecasters. The image
shows the temperature of Yasi's cloud tops or the surface of Earth in
cloud-free regions. The coldest cloud-top temperatures appear in purple,
indicating towering cold clouds and heavy precipitation. The infrared
signal of AIRS does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no
clouds, AIRS reads the infrared signal from the surface of the ocean
waters, revealing warmer temperatures in orange and red.
Text Credit: Alan Buis 818-354-0474, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
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