September 24, 2019 - Tropical Cyclone Hikaa

On September 23, 2019, a deep depression over the Arabian Sea intensified to form a tropical cyclone. At 1500 UTC (11:00 am EDT), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) advised that Tropical Cyclone Hikka carried maximum sustained winds of 69 mph (111 km/h). The storm was located at 20.2 north latitude and 63.5 east longitude or roughly 305 miles (490 km) east of Masirah Island, Oman. It was moving westward.

The JTWC described Tropical Cyclone Hikka as a midget system with tightly-curved banding wrapping into a developing eye. The system was located in an environment with light vertical wind shear and will be moving over a region of warm sea surface temperatures, leading to potential intensification over the next 12 hours. Hikka is expected to make landfall on the morning of September 25, then quickly dissipate over land.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Hikka on September 23. A distinct eye was present accompanied by tight convective bands.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/23/2019
Resolutions: 1km (2.2 MB), 500m (6.1 MB), 250m (4.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC