NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Tropical Storm Ului during the
morning hours (Eastern Time) on March 12 and noticed a large area
of strong convection in the storm's center, indicating
strengthening.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on Aqua
captured an infrared image of Ului, formerly Tropical Depression
20P, on March 12 at 14:17 a.m. ET (9:17 a.m. ET). The infrared
image showed a well –developed storm with a large cluster of
high, cold (colder than minus 63 Fahrenheit), strong thunderstorms
around the center of Tropical Storm Ului.
Tropical cyclone 20P formed during the very early morning hours
today, March 12, and by late morning (Eastern Time) had
strengthened into a tropical storm in the South Pacific Ocean. In
fact, regional gale warnings are now in effect for Sanma and
Torres.
The Torres Islands are in the Torba Province of Vanuatu, the
northernmost island group in the country. Sanma is a province
located in the northern section of the nation of Vanuatu, and is
located on the nation's largest island, Espiritu Santo. Sanma is
about 1,553 miles (2,500 km) northeast of Sydney, Australia.
On Friday, March 12 at 1 a.m. ET (0600 UTC), Ului's center was
about 50 nautical miles west of Vanuatu, near 14.9 degrees South
latitude and 165.7 East longitude. It was moving west near 7 mph (6
knots) and had maximum sustained winds near 52 mph (45 knots). As
Tropical Storm Ului continues to track west, once it passes 160
degrees East it will be covered by the Bureau of Meteorology in
Australia.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that "Animated
multispectral satellite imagery shows a well-defined low level
circulation center (llcc) with banding convection starting to wrap
into the system center," indicating strengthening, and that's what
is forecast over the weekend.
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