Amazing footage of Cyclone Debbie from space
AS TROPICAL CYCLONE Debbie makes landfall in north Queensland this morning, dramatic footage of the monster storm as seen from space is circulating on the web.
The video was taken from NASA’s International Space Station livestream broadcast two days ago, and recorded and shared online. The footage shows two views of the storm as it intensifies over the Coral Sea on 26 March – one from the Space Station’s forward-facing camera and one from directly above.
Cyclone Debbie is currently crossing the Queensland coast as a Category 4 storm, defined as one with sustained winds in the range of 160-200km/h. Wind gusts of 190km/h have already been reported at Hamilton Island.
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The eye of the enormous storm alone is reported to be around 50km across and is expected to hit Bowen at around lunch time today.
NASA has also released the below image of Cyclone Debbie taken from its Aqua Satellite yesterday, 27 March, at 0350 UTC.
“The image showed powerful bands of thunderstorms wrapping around the low level centre, and strongest storms in the western quadrant stretched along the coast from Townsville in the north, south to Mackay. The southernmost extent of the storm was near Bundaberg,” said the statement accompanying the image.
Image of Tropical Cyclone Debbie taken from NASA’s Aqua Satellite on 27 March 0350 UTC. (Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team)
Cyclone Debbie is the biggest storm to hit north Queensland since Cyclone Yasi six years ago.
Follow ABC Emergency or the Bureau of Meteorology for up to date alerts and warnings about Cyclone Debbie.
READ MORE:
- The biggest cyclones in recorded history
- More tropical cyclones likely for Australia this year
- Looking back: Cyclone Tracy, 1974
