Newly-formed Tropical Cyclone Vicky was bringing rain and strong winds to Samoa and American Samoa on February 20 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the region.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Pago Pago, the system moved very close to Tutuila and was moved eastward as a tropical depression on February 20. Later that afternoon the storm reached Tropical Cyclone strength and was named Vicky. Tutuila is the largest island in American Samoa, which is a U.S. territory covering seven islands and atolls. The capital city of Pago Pago is located on Tutuila.

On February 21 at 4 a.m. EST (0900 UTC), Vicky was located near latitude 15.7 degrees south and longitude 170.7 degrees west, about 84 nautical miles south of Pago Pago, American Samoa. Vicky was moving to the south and had maximum sustained winds 40 knots (46 mph/74 km/h). The NWS issued a Tropical Storm Warning for American Samoa and coastal waters out to 40 nautical miles, including the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.

By 3:00 p.m. EST (2100 UTC), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued its final warning on Tropical Cyclone Vicky. At that time, Vicky was located about 125 mi (201 km) north of Niue, a small island south of Samoa. At that time, the storm was completely devoid of deep convection, with a poorly defined low-level circulation center. Maximum sustained winds were approximately 40 mph (64 km/h) and was facing increasing wind shear and a hostile environment. Dissipation was underway at that time, although the JTWC would monitor for possible regeneration.

Image Facts

Satellite: Aqua

Date Acquired: 2/20/2020

Resolutions: , ,

Bands Used: 1,4,3

Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC