December 14, 2021 - Tropical Cyclone Ruby
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Tropical Cyclone Ruby
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Tropical Cyclone Ruby formed in the Coral Sea east of Australia, north
of New Caledonia and west of Vanuatu on December 12, 2021. According to
the Joint typhoon warning center (JTWC), at 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EST) on
December 13, Ruby was located at 19.2 south and 162.3 east, or 216
miles (443 km) northwest of Noumea, New Caledonia and was moving
southeastward at 19.5 mph (31.5 km/h). Maximum sustained winds were
estimated at 75 mph (120 km/h), placing it as a Category 1 storm on the
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale or a Category 3 storm on the
Australian tropical cyclone intensity Scale.
Tropical Cyclone Ruby is likely to move across New Caledonia prior to
facing increasing wind shear. By late on December 14 or early December
15, Ruby will begin to interact with subtropical westerlies as well as
passing over cooler waters. Increasing vertical wind shear will rapidly
weaken the storm before it reaches New Zealand, but the JTWC expects
Ruby to remain a storm-force subtropical low as it approaches New
Zealand. Not only will Ruby impact the islands of New Caledonia with
heavy rain and strong wind, it is expected to also bring downpours to
New Zealand. In Australia, it is likely to serve as part of the
formation of an “atmospheric river” that will bring rain to
northeastern Australia.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of Tropical Storm
Ruby on the morning of December 13. The compact storm sported a
distinct and cloud-filled eye as it moved toward the large island of
Grande Terre, New Caledonia.
Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/13/2021
Resolutions: 1km (206.3 KB), 500m (600.3 KB), 250m (1.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-12-14
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