image: On Jan. 29, 2019, the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite looked at Tropical Cyclone Riley far to the west of Western Australia. Wind shear pushed the bulk of clouds and storms west of the center. view more
Credit: NASA/NRL
Visible from NASA's Aqua satellite revealed the effects of wind shear on Tropical Cyclone Riley in the Southern Indian Ocean.
On Jan. 29, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Riley, located far to the west of Western Australia. Easterly wind shear pushed the bulk of clouds and storms west of the center.
At 4 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on Jan. 29, Riley was located near 19.4 degrees south latitude and 105.8 east longitude, approximately 475 nautical miles west-northwest of Learmonth, Australia. Rile was moving to the west-southwestward. Maximum sustained winds were near 35 knots (40 mph/65 kph).
Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect Riley to maintain its west-southwestward track until it dissipates later in the day.
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