Tropical Cyclone Kirrily in the Coral Sea

By Scott Bachmeier • 24 January 2024

2.5-minute JMA Himawari-9 Red Visible (0.64 µm, top) and Clean Infrared Window (10.4 µm, bottom) images, from 2102 UTC on 23 January to 0742 UTC on 24 January [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

Target Sector (2.5-minute interval) JMA Himawari-9 AHI Red Visible (0.64 µm) and Clean Infrared Window (10.4 µm) images (above) showed Invest 90P as it intensified to become Tropical Cyclone Kirrily over the Coral Sea on 23-24 January 2024. Visible images showed multiple exposed low-level circulation centers, while Infrared images showed that deep convection was mainly developing west of the storm center.

Himawari-9 Infrared Window (11.2 µm) images from the CIMSS Tropical Cyclones site (below) showed that Tropical Cyclone Kirrily was moving through an environment of low deep-layer wind shear (in contrast to the high values of shear that were affecting Invest 90P on 20 January).

JMA Himawari-9 Infrared Window (11.2 µm) images, with contours and streamlines of deep-layer wind shear at 0000 UTC on 24 January [click to enlarge]

===== 25 January Update ====

2.5-minute JMA Himawari-9 Red Visible (0.64 µm, top) and Clean Infrared Window (10.4 µm, bottom) images, from 0302 UTC to 1312 UTC on 25 January [click to play animated GIF | MP4]

2.5-minute Himawari-9 Visible and Infrared images (above) showed Cyclone Kirrily as it approached the coast of Queensland, Australia — making landfall near Townsville (YBTL) around 1200 UTC on 25 January 2024.

A plot of surface report data from Townsville (below) depicted a pressure minimum from 1120-1200 UTC (during landfall), with a maximum wind gust of 50 kts at 0942 UTC (prior to landfall).

Plot of surface report data from Townsville [click to enlarge]

Several hours prior to landfall, the Jason-3 satellite was detecting altimeter Significant Wave Heights (the average of the highest 1/3^rd of the wave distribution.) up to 20.34 ft off the coast of Queensland at 0422 UTC (below).