image: The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Cyclone Laurence on Dec. 15 at 12:03 a.m. ET as its eye was about to make landfall. view more
Credit: NASA/JTWC
Tropical Cyclone Laurence made landfall in Northwestern Australia this morning (Eastern Time) December 15, 2009. NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Laurence just before the center of the storm made landfall at 0503 UTC (12:03 a.m. ET). The Moderate Resolution Image Spectroradiometer instrument on Aqua captured the image.
At 06:00 UTC (1 a.m. ET) Laurence's center was located near 14.6 South and 125.4 East. Its center was just northeast of Derby, which is located on the coast in the Western Australia territory. Despite it's proximity to the coast, Laurence's winds were near 86 mph, making it a Category One Cyclone. It was moving to the southwest near 7 mph.
Observations from Troughton Island indicated sustained winds as high as 85 mph (74 knots) as Laurence passed 12 hours before.
Laurence is now expected to track deeper into interior Australia and dissipate in the next two days.