News Release

Tropical Cyclone Gaja approaching Southeastern India

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Suomi NPP Image of Gaja

image: NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over the Northern Indian Ocean and captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Gaja approaching the southeastern coast of India at 2:36 a.m. EDT (0736 UTC) on Nov. 14, 2018. view more 

Credit: NASA/NOAA/NRL

Tropical Cyclone Gaja continued to track toward a landfall in southeastern India when NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite flew over the Bay of Bengal and provided a visible image of the storm.

Suomi NPP passed over Gaja on Nov. 14 at 2:36 a.m. EDT (0736 UTC) and the VIIRS instrument provided a visible image. The VIIRS image showed Gaja appeared more organized than the previous day as powerful thunderstorms circled the center. A thick band of thunderstorms wrapped into the low level center from the eastern quadrant.

At 4 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) Tropical Cyclone Gaja was located near 12.6 degrees north latitude and 84.5 degrees east longitude. That's about 623 nautical miles south-southwest of Calcutta, India. Gaja is moving to the west-southwest and has maximum sustained winds near 45 knots (52 mph/83 kph).

The Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for Tropical Cyclones over the Northern Indian Ocean or RSMC has issued a tropical storm warning for southern India. For updates visit: http://www.rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in/index.php?lang=en

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center or JTWC forecasters expect Gaja to track over the southern Indian Peninsula, where may likely hold together and reach the Arabian Sea.

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