World News: NASA Satellite Sees System 96P Over Northern Territory
The low pressure area known as System 96P that had development potential for becoming a tropical depression lost that chance as it moved over land in Australia’s Northern Territory. NASA’s Aqua satellite showed the southern half of System 96P was over land early on March 14.
The southern edge of System 96P moved over land in the northeastern corner of Western Australia and the northwestern part of the Northern Territory on March 13. At 0900 UTC on March 14, System 96P’s center was about 215 miles southwest of Darwin, Northern Territory. It was centered near 14.7 South and 128.6 East, near Rocky Island in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, southern Timor Sea.
NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over northern Australia on March 14 at 0424 UTC (12:24 a.m. EDT) and captured infrared data on System 96P. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured infrared images that showed cloud top temperatures. AIRS data showed that the coldest cloud top temperatures were colder than -63F/-52.7C and that the southern half of the storm had moved over land.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported System 96P will still affect the communities from Kalumburu to Dundee Beach including Wyndham, bringing gusty winds and heavy rain. Heavy rainfall is possible through the Western Top End and Victoria River area.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) dropped the likelihood of tropical cyclone formation to low. The JTWC reported “Recent data indicates the system is moving on-shore over the Southern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and will remain inland for at least 48 hours. Some chance remains that the cyclone may return to open waters over the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, but that will not occur for at least 48 hours, if at all.”
Text Credit: Rob Gutro
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
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