Tropical Cyclone Jasmine passed between Vanuatu and New Caledonia earlier today, and NASA’s Aqua satellite caught it in the act. Jasmine's 20-nautical-mile-wide eye is clearly visible in this true color image of the storm, as are the bands of thunderstorms feeding into it.
Jasmine’s eye first turned up in NASA infrared data collected yesterday, when NASA captured these infrared images of Jasmine (below left) and Tropical Cyclone Cyril (below right), another tropical cyclone currently plaguing the Coral Sea.
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Tropical Cyclone Cyril, which formed within 24 hours of Jasmine, is currently north of Tonga, where a cyclone alert is in effect. High seas are expected in Figi, which is already flooded from storms that struck there last week.
Jasmine's maximum sustained winds neared 115 knots (213 kilometers per hour, but the islands were spared a direct hit. The Australia News Network reported that sustained winds in Vanuatu's south islands were 165 kilometers per hour.
"In Vanuatu, a blue alert was in effect on February 8 for the Tafea province and now only applies to Aneityum. Warnings in New Caledonia cover the entire territory until 6 a.m. local time, and are under a yellow pre-alert," NASA's Rob Gutro wrote in a press release today.
Hurricane Season 2012 is well underway. This time last week, tropical cyclones were attacking Australia, creating floodwaters deep enough for sharks to migrate inland.
IMAGES: Tropical Cyclone Jasmine (top) courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC; Infrared images of Tropical Cyclone Jasmine (bottom left) and Tropical Cyclone Cyril (bottom right) courtesy of Ed Olsen and NASA/JPL.
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