Cyclone Thane - Thru the eyes of NASA earth observatory

Tropical Storm Thane formed over the Indian Ocean on December 25, 2011. By December 28, Thane had strengthened into a cyclone and was headed toward southern India. On December 28, the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Thane was located roughly 270 nautical miles (500 kilometers) southeast of Chennai. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 knots (120 kilometers per hour) with gusts up to 80 knots (150 kilometers per hour). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on December 28, 2011. Thane lacks a distinct eye but still sports the spiral shape characteristic of strong storms. Skies are clear over Chennai but storm clouds extend over other parts of the Indian coast. The JTWC forecast that Thane would continue moving toward the west, making landfall south of Chennai on December 30.

 Cyclone Thane came ashore in southeastern India in late December 2011, killing at least 47 people, flattening homes, destroying crops, and leaving tens of thousands in need of emergency aid. Some aid workers feared that Thane may have caused more property and infrastructure damage in the region than the tsunami that struck in 2004. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on December 29, 2011. The center of the storm spins just off the coast of southeastern India, and clouds extend over India and Sri Lanka. Thane formed as a tropical storm on December 25, 2011, and strengthened into a cyclone by December 28. When the storm made landfall, it brought high winds and tidal surges. Thane knocked out power in many areas, disrupted drinking-water supplies, and blocked roads with uprooted trees.