April 8, 2021 - Tropical Cyclone Seroja

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   Tropical Cyclone Seroja
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   On April 4, 2021, Tropical Cyclone Seroja formed over the Savu Sea in
   eastern Indonesia, bringing heavy rain, wind, and storm surge to
   Timor-Leste and southern Indonesia. Although the storm did not carry
   severe winds at the time, heavy rain triggered landslides and flash
   flooding which has caused significant damage and death in the region.
   The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
   (OCHA) report on ReliefWeb on April 7 that at least 113 people have
   died and dozens more are missing due to the storm. Twenty-seven deaths
   were reported in Timor-Leste, where over 10,000 people have been
   adversely affected by the storm. The presidential palace, in Dili, was
   characterized in this report as “a mud pit”. Eighty-six people were
   killed in Indonesia and 71 remain missing and over 2,600 are affected
   by flash flooding and landslides, with substantial damage to roads,
   bridges, and households.

   At 11:00 p.m. EST on April 7 (0300 UTC April 8), the Joint Typhoon
   Warning Center (JTWC) stated that Tropical Cyclone Seroja was located
   442 miles (711 km) north of Learmonth, Australia and was tracking
   west-southwestward. Maximum sustained winds registered at 63 mph (101.4
   km/h) and the storm appeared to be consolidating with deepening
   convection noted.

   The JTWC expects Tropical Cyclone Seroja to reach peak strength of 127
   mph (204 km/h) on April 11. That would place it as a Category 3 storm
   on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. It is predicted to meet
   strong windshear and cooler sea surface temperatures shortly after that
   time, forcing a turn towards Australia. The unfavorable conditions
   should weaken Seroja before it makes landfall in southwestern Australia
   by April 12. After landfall, Seroja is expected to rapidly weaken.

   The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
   NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of Tropical Cyclone
   Seroja on April 7 as it was spinning northwest of Australia. At that
   time the storm was beginning to consolidate and strengthen after
   causing severe damage in Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 4/7/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (2.3 MB),  500m (6.4 MB),  250m (4.5 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=2021-04-08
 
