MSGID: 1:317/3 643edac8
PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08
TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08
April 18, 2023 - Tropical Cyclone Ilsa

   Ilsa
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   Around midnight local time on April 13, 2023, Tropical Cyclone Ilsa
   made landfall in Western Australia. Bearing winds that gusted to 298
   kilometers (185 miles) per hour, it was one of the most potent storms
   to hit the area in recent years.

   Earlier that day, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
   (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of
   the fierce cyclone approaching the Western Australia coast. Near the
   time this image was captured, Ilsa was approaching the coast with
   sustained winds of 240 kilometers (150 miles) per hour. That equates to
   a Category 5 storm on Australia’s intensity scale, which is equivalent
   to a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.
   Although the storm’s center had not yet reached the coast, its outer
   cloud bands were already interacting with land.

   According to Western Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, winds were
   especially fierce at Bedout Island (obscured in this image by clouds).
   Ground-based instruments measured sustained wind speeds of 218
   kilometers (135 miles) per hour there—topping the previous record
   measured of 194 kilometers per hour measured at the island during
   Cyclone George in 2007.

   The storm crossed the coast about 120 kilometers east-northeast of Port
   Hedland, maintaining Category 5 status on the Australian scale. By late
   on April 14, Ilsa’s windspeeds had decreased to near 80.5 km/h (50
   mph), bringing it to Category 1 on the Australian scale. The storm
   brought damaging winds and torrential rain across a large swath of
   Western Australia. Fortunately, major cities, such as Port Hedland,
   were spared a direct hit and damage appears to be relatively mild.

   The strongest winds appeared to have crossed over more remote
   territory. Photos of severe damage to buildings and a tractor-trailer
   overturned have circulated on social media, as well as photos of
   near-total destruction of the Pardoo Roadhouse, a remote restaurant and
   gas station near Port Hedland. The cyclone passed directly over Pardoo
   Station, a cattle ranching operation, leaving only two buildings intact
   at the main location.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 4/13/2023
   Resolutions:  1km (2.2 MB),  500m (6.2 MB),  250m (4.6 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=2023-04-18
 
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