![Meteosat-8 Infrared (10.8 µm) and DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) images of Cyclone Idai at 1630 UTC [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190314_1630utc_meteosat8_infrared_dmsp17__microwave_Idai_anim.gif)
Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) and DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) images of Cyclone Idai at 1630 UTC [click to enlarge]
Cyclone Idai — which had been slowly intensifying over
warm water within the Mozambique Channel since 09 March — made landfall as a Category 2 storm along the coast of Mozambique on 14 March 2019 (
storm track). A toggle between Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) and DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) images from the
CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site
(above) revealed a large and well-defined eye and eyewall structure at 1630 UTC. Idai had been rated at Category 3 intensity during 3 periods of time during its life cycle, most recently at 12 UTC on the day of landfall.
At 1911 UTC, Metop-A ASCAT winds in excess of 60 knots were sampled just west of the eyewall region (below).
![Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) image, with plots of Metop-A ASCAT winds at 1911 UTC [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190314_1900utc_meteosat8_infrared_metopA_ascat_winds_Idai.png)
Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) image, with plots of Metop-A ASCAT winds at 1911 UTC [click to enlarge]
A comparison of VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP, visualized using
RealEarth, is shown below.
![NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190314_noaa20_suomiNPP_viirs_truecolor_infrared_Cyclone_Idai_anim.gif)
NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]
Idai had been moving through an environment of very low
deep-layer wind shear — a favorable factor for maintaining its intensity — as shown in an animation of Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images
(below).
![Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images with contours of satellite-derived Deep-Layer Wind Shear valid at 18 UTC [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190314_meteosat8_infrared_Idai_anim.gif)
Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images with contours of satellite-derived Deep-Layer Wind Shear valid at 18 UTC [click to enlarge]
The
MIMIC TC product
(below) suggested that Idai might have been in the early stage of an eyewall replacement cycle (ERC) just prior to making landfall. This, after completing a separate ERC during the
preceding 48 hours.
![MIMIC TC morphed microwave imagery [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190314_mimicTC_Idai_anim.gif)
MIMIC TC morphed microwave image product [click to enlarge]
The eye of Idal was becoming cloud-filled as it approached the Mozambique coast, as seen on
EUMETSAT Meteosat-8 High Resolution Visible (0.8 µm) images
(below).
![Meteosat-8 High Resolution Visible (0.8 µm) images [click to play animation]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190314_MET8_VIS_IDAI_01.GIF)
Meteosat-8 High Resolution Visible (0.8 µm) images [click to play animation]
A time series of surface data from the port city of Beira FQBR
(below) showed deteriorating conditions before observations ceased at 15 UTC.
![Surface observation data from Beira, Mozambique [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190314_FQBR_SFCMG.GIF)
Surface observation data from Beira, Mozambique [click to enlarge]
Incidentally, an overpass of the Landsat-8 satellite on 11 March provided a 30-meter resolution view of the eye
(below), soon after Idai’s first period of rapid intensification to Category 3 strength (
SATCON). Surface mesovortices were apparent within the eye.
![Landsat-8 False Color image of the eye of Idai on 11 March [click to play a zooming animation]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190311_0710utc_landsat8_fc_Idai.png)
Landsat-8 False Color image of the eye of Idai on 11 March [click to play a zooming animation]
Flooding from Idai led to
hundreds of fatalities in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
![DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) image [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/190702_1448utc_dmsp17_ssmis_Barbara.png)
![GOES-17 "Red" Visible (0.64 µm, top) and "Clean" Infrared Window (10.3 µm, bottom) images [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/190703_goes17_visible_infrared_Hurricane_Barbara_anim.gif)
![EUMETSAT-8 Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) umages [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/190502_190503_meteosat8_infrared_Fani_anim.gif)
![Time series plot of surface observations from Bhabaneswar, India [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/190503_VEBS_SFCMG.GIF)
![Sequence of NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/190501_190503_noaa20_suomiNPP_viirs_infrared_Cyclone_Fani_anim.gif)
![VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/190502_noaa20_suomiNPP_viirs_infrared_truecolor_Cyclone_Fani_anim.gif)
![DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) image at 1230 UTC + Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) image at 1300 UTC [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/190502_1230utc_dmsp17_microwave_1300utc_meteosat8_infrared_Cyclone_Fani_anim.gif)
![MIMIC TC morphed microwave product, 01-02 May [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/190501_190502_mimicTC_Fani_anim.gif)
![Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images at 1939 UTC on 30 April [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/190430_1939utc_suomiNPP_viirs_dayNightBand_inraredWindow_Fani_anim.gif)
![NOAA-20 VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images at 2029 UTC on 30 April [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/190430_2029utc_noaa20_viirs_dayNightBand_inraredWindow_Fani_anim.gif)
![Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (1145 µm) images at 1716 UTC [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190321_1716utc_suomiNPP_dayNightBand_infrared_Cyclone_Veronica_anim.gif)
![Microwave images from Suomi NPP ATMS at 1716 UTC and from GCOM-W1 AMSR2 at 1732 UTC [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190321_1716utc_suomiNPP_atms_1732utc_gcomW1_amsr2_microwave_Veronica_anim.gif)
![DMSP-17 SSMIS Microwave (85 GHz) image at 2246 UTC, with an overlay of 21 UTC deep-layer Wind Shear, and Sea Surface Temperature [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190321_2246utc_dmsp17_ssmis_microwave_deepLayerWindShear_seaSurfaceTemperature_Veronica_anim.gif)
![Himawari-8 Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190321_himawari8_infrared_Cyclone_Veronica_anim.gif)
![Himawari-8 "Red" Visible (0.64 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190321_himawari8_visible_Cyclone_Veronica_anim.gif)
![Meteosat-8 High Resolution Visible (0.8 µm) images [click to play animation]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190314_meteosat8_visible_Idai_anim.gif)
![Landsat-8 False Color image of the eye of Idai on 11 March [click to play a zooming animation]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/190311_0710utc_landsat8_falsecolor_Idai_anim.gif)
