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Cyclone Fantala in the Indian Ocean

By Scott Bachmeier •

Advanced Dvorak Technique intensity plot for Cyclone Fantala [click to enlarge]

Advanced Dvorak Technique intensity plot for Cyclone Fantala [click to enlarge]

A plot of the Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT) hurricane intensity estimate (above) revealed that Indian Ocean Cyclone Fantala (19S) exhibited a period of rapid intensification on 15 April 2016, reaching Category 4 intensity with maximum sustained winds of 135 knots at 14 UTC.

EUMETSAT Meteosat-7 Infrared Window (11.5 µm) images (below) showed the formation of a well-defined eye after about 03 UTC.

Meteosat-7 Infrared (11.5 µm) images [click to play animation]

Meteosat-7 Infrared (11.5 µm) images [click to play animation]

A comparison of Meteosat-7 Infrared (11.5 µm) and DMSP-18 SSMI Microwave (85 GHz) images from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (below) showed the eye structure around 15 UTC.

Meteosat-7 Infrared (11.5 µm) and DMSP-18 SSMI Microwave (85 GHz) images [click to enlarge]

Meteosat-7 Infrared (11.5 µm) and DMSP-18 SSMI Microwave (85 GHz) images [click to enlarge]

===== 18 April Update =====

Meteosat-7 Infrared Window (11.5 µm) images [click to play animation]

Meteosat-7 Infrared Window (11.5 µm) images [click to play animation]

During the 17-18 April period Cyclone Fantala reached Category 5 intensity (ADT plot), with maximum sustained winds of 150 knots (making it the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the South Indian Ocean); Fantala also became the longest-lived hurricane-strength tropical cyclone on record for that ocean basin. Meteosat-7 Infrared Window (11.5 µm) images (above) showed the storm reaching peak intensity as it moved just north of the island of Madagascar.

A comparison of Suomi NPP VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) and Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) images (below) offered a detailed nighttime view of the eye of Fantala at 2249 UTC on 17 April. Side lighting from the Moon (in the Waxing Gibbous phase, at 81% of full) helped to cast a distinct shadow within the eye, and also provided a good demonstration of the “visible image at night” capability of the Day/Night Band.

 

Suomi NPP VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) and Day/Night Band (0.7 µm images [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Infrared Window (11.45 µm) and Day/Night Band (0.7 µm images [click to enlarge]

Categories: DMSP, Meteosat, Suomi NPP, Tropical cyclones, VIIRS