Spurred by very warm sea surface temperatures in the Mozambique Channel, Tropical Cyclone Belna experienced a burst of rapid intensification shortly before making landfall in western Madagascar at about 1530 UTC (10:30 a.m. EST) on December 9. According to Severe Weather Europe, the surface temperature of the waters just northwest of the coast of Madagascar were about 84 – 86°F (29-30°C) as the storm passed. Warmer-than-average waters across the western Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea have spurred the formation of three cyclones over western Indian Ocean over the past week.

According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, at 0900 UTC (5:00 a.m. EST), Typhoon Belna was located about 550 nautical miles northeast of Europa Island. Maximum sustained winds were near 92 mph (148 km/h) at that time. The intensification occurred after this advisory, suggesting that the maximum sustained winds at landfall were greater than that estimate, bringing it onshore as at least a Category 1 storm on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Belna approaching Madagascar on the morning of December 9. At that time, Belna had a cloud-filled eye with thunderstorms carried in the southeastern quadrant sweeping over western Madagascar.

Image Facts

Satellite: Terra

Date Acquired: 12/9/2019

Resolutions: , ,

Bands Used: 1,4,3

Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC