February 9, 2023 - Tropical Cyclone Freddy off of Western Australia
Freddy
Tweet
Share
Tropical Cyclone Freddy formed off the West Australian Coast on the
morning of February 7, 2023. Freddy was initially located about 720 km
(447 miles) northwest of the town of Broome as winds increased to 75
mph (121 km/h), or a the equivalent of Category 1 storm on the Saffir
Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Freddy intensified rapidly, attaining
maximum sustained winds of about 110 mph (177 km/h), or the equivalent
of a Category 2 storm, by that same afternoon.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of Tropical Cyclone
Freddy on the morning of February 8. At that time, the compact storm
sported a cloud-filled eye, with distinct convective banding. Strong
wind shear on the eastern side gave Freddy an asymmetric appearance.
Around the time the image was acquired, wind shear had also weakened
the storm, bringing maximum sustained winds to about 90 mph (144 km/h).
At 10:30 p.m. EST on February 8 (0330 UTC on February 9), the Joint
Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) advised that Tropical Cyclone Freddy was
located about 480 miles (772 km) north-northwest of Learmonth, Western
Australia. It was carrying maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (129 km/h)
and tracking westward, away from land.
Freddy is forecast to continue moving westward, posing no threats to
land. Vertical wind shear should continue to batter the eastern side of
the storm over the next 24 hours, causing temporary weakening. As
conditions become more favorable by February 10, Tropical Cyclone
Freddy may once again intensify as it continues to move over the open
ocean.
Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 2/8/2023
Resolutions: 1km (2.1 MB), 500m (1.7 MB),
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-02-09
--- up 49 weeks, 3 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)