On March 15, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Gretel spinning over the Coral Sea. The storm clouds span over New Caledonia as the center sits well east of Queensland, Australia.

Tropical Cyclone 23P formed on March 14 at 4 p.m. EDT (2100 UTC) between Australia and New Caledonia. Once it intensified into a tropical storm, it was renamed Gretel. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on March 15 (0300 UTC on March 16), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center or JTWC issued the final warning on Gretel. At that time, the center of Tropical Cyclone Gretel was located near latitude 26.6 degrees south and longitude 169.7 degrees east, about 675 nautical miles north-northwest of Auckland, New Zealand. Maximum sustained winds were near 50 knots (58 mph/93 kph) and Gretel was speeding southeast at 25 knots (29 mph/46 kph).

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center or JTWC noted that Gretel will continue to move southeast and is now becoming extra-tropical.

Image Facts

Satellite: Terra

Date Acquired: 3/15/2020

Resolutions: , ,

Bands Used: 1,4,3

Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC