Tropical Cyclone Crystal (05S) southeast of Mauritius and La Reunion, Indian Ocean

Packing sustained winds of 80 miles (128 km) per hour, with gusts of up to 97 miles (157 km) per hour, Cyclone Crystal was approaching the island of Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean on December 26, 2002. Mauritius is situated roughly 900 km (550 miles) due east of Madagascar, off Africa’s southeastern shore.

These true-color images of Cyclone Crystal was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites. Over the course of a few days, the storm took on an increasingly ragged appearance.

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Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published December 31, 2002
Data acquired December 28 - 28, 2002

Source:

Aqua > MODIS

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MODIS Rapid Response

Visible Earth