NASA see cyclone Lua strengthening for March 17th landfall.

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NASA sees cyclone Lua strengthening for March 17 landfall

Published: Friday, March 16, 2012 - 21:31 in Earth & Climate


Credit: NASA/JPL, Ed Olsen

NASA/JPL, Ed Olsen

NASA TRMM
Northern Australia's Pilbara coast is under warnings, alerts and watches as powerful Cyclone Lua nears for a landfall. NASA's Aqua satellite has been providing infrared, visible and microwave data on Lua that have shown forecasters the storm is strengthening on its approach to land. Two of the most recent infrared images of Cyclone Lua were captured from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The AIRS instrument captured infrared images of Cyclone Lua on March 15 at 1741 UTC and March 16 at 0553 UTC. The later image appeared to show that Lau was becoming more organized and more compact, signs that the storm was strengthening. Bands of thunderstorms are also wrapping into the low-level center, another sign of strengthening. Over that time period the storm had grown from a tropical storm to a cyclone. Aqua captured an infrared image of the storm's cloud top temperatures using the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument. AIRS data showed that the coldest (purple) cloud top temperatures (colder than -63F/-52.7C).

The list of warnings, watches and alerts are numerous. A Cyclone Warning is current for coastal areas from Cape Leveque to Dampier, including Port Hedland, Karratha, Dampier and Broome, as well as inland parts of the eastern Pilbara and far western Kimberley. A Cyclone Watch is current for the central and eastern inland Pilbara including Telfer, Newman and Paraburdoo, the western inland Kimberley, the eastern Gascoyne including Meekatharra, and the far western Interior.

Yellow and Blue Alerts are also in effect. A Yellow Alert is in effect for residents between Broome and Whim Creek including Bidyadanga, Port Hedland, South Hedland, Warralong, Yande Yarra, Marble Bar and adjacent pastoral and mining leases. A Blue Alert is in effect for residents in coastal communities between Whim Creek and Dampier including Karratha, Dampier, Roebourne, Wickham and Point Samson as well as inland communities including Nullagine, Newman and Jigalong and surrounding pastoral and mining leases.

ABC Online Melboure reports that flights have been canceled and roads have been closed. Officials have also closed Karijini National Park because of flash flooding risk.

On March 16, 2012 at 0900 UTC (5 a.m. EST), Tropical cyclone Lua's maximum sustained winds were near 75 knots (86 mph/139 kph). Cyclone-force winds extended out 30 nautical miles (34.5 miles/55.5 km) from the center, while tropical storm-force winds extended out to 160 nautical miles (184 miles/296.3 km) from the center.

Lua was located near 16.5 South and 116.6 East, about 260 miles north-northwest of Port Hedland, Australia. Lua was moving to the east-southeast at 10 knots (11.5 mph/18.5 kph).

Lua is forecast to strengthen to 90 knots (103.6 mph/166.7 kph) before making landfall around midday (local time) on March 17 just north of Port Hedland. By March 19, Lua is expected to dissipate in central or southern Western Australia. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is issuing updates every three hours. To see the updates, visit: http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/.

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RESIDENTS BUNKER DOWN AS LUA APPROACHES
By Lloyd Jones, AAP
Updated March 17, 2012, 2:34 pm

Residents on red alert for the arrival of tropical cyclone Lua in Western Australia's northwest have been ordered to stay indoors as gale force winds start lashing the coast.

The category 4 system is expected to make landfall on the Pilbara coast early on Saturday afternoon, bringing with it potentially devastating wind gusts of up to 270km/h along with heavy rain, flooding and a dangerous storm tide.

The Bureau of Meteorology says Lua is the strongest cyclone to hit Australia this year and the strongest since Cyclone Yasi hit Queensland last year.

But on Saturday morning Lua looked set to pass over Pardoo on the coast and other sparsely populated areas inland, with cattle stations taking the brunt of the dangerous weather.

The Pilbara town of Port Hedland looks likely to avoid the worst of the destructive winds.

Rescue and emergency teams are in place across the region to respond quickly to assist communities hit hard by the cyclone.

A bulletin issued by WA's Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) at 9.20am (WST) said a red alert was in place for coastal communities from Bidyadanga to Port Hedland, including South Hedland, Pardoo, Sandfire, Warralong, Yandeyarra and adjacent pastoral and mining leases.

People have been told to take shelter immediately and warned that heavy fines apply if they use their vehicles.

Flights into the region have been cancelled and the main highway has been closed between Broome and Port Hedland, where the port has also been shut down and vessels sent to safe waters.

Port Hedland Mayor Kelly Howlett told AAP that blustery gales and heavy rain were hitting the town which was in lockdown with everyone staying indoors.

"The risk for us has really lessened now; certainly we're heeding all the advices," Mr Howlett said.

"We're still expecting the worst of the winds and gusts at lunchtime."

FESA spokesman Les Hayter said he believed Port Hedland might be saved from much of the destructive winds.

He said Lua would move a lot quicker when it hit land and it was hoped it would then lose intensity quickly as well.

"We're hoping it will get faster so it doesn't get a chance to build to a category 5," he told AAP.

Mr Heyter said many residents had evacuated places like Pardoo and Wallal with only skeleton crews remaining at cattle stations and roadhouses.

At the Sandfire Roadhouse, employee Marlene Wi said at 9am (WST) that it was windy but there was "no sign of anything vicious yet".

She said five permanent community residents would bunker down at the roadhouse and wait the cyclone out. "We've just tied everything down, the outdoor furniture has all been pulled inside," Ms Wi said.

"There's nothing we can do. You've just got to let nature take its course and see what happens I guess."

Mr Heyter said emergency teams had been deployed to threatened sites including storm damage chainsaw operators stationed inland at Marble Bar.

A search and rescue team was also on standby at Exmouth and aircraft were ready to respond to assist communities when the cyclone had passed, he said.

At 8am (WST) on Saturday Lua was about 215km north northwest of Port Hedland and moving southeast at 23km/h.

The Bureau of Meteorology said destructive winds up to 150km/h were possible between Port Hedland and Bidyadanga and very destructive winds up to 270km/h were forecast near Lua's centre

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