Two different oceans were crowded with tropical cyclones in late February 2025.
Two different oceans were crowded with tropical cyclones in late February 2025. In the South Pacific, three storms were active at one point—an occurrence that is rare but not unheard of. Simultaneously, a trio of cyclones roiled in the neighboring Indian Ocean.
Five tropical cyclones are visible in this false-color image, acquired on February 26 by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) sensor on the NOAA-20 satellite. The image depicts infrared signals known as brightness temperature, which are useful for distinguishing cooler cloud structures (white and purple) from the warmer surface below (yellow and orange). The day before this image was acquired, a sixth storm, Tropical Cyclone Rae, was weakening east of the area shown here after bringing heavy rain to Fiji.
Cyclones Alfred and Seru lurked alongside Rae in the South Pacific. Seru lingered offshore of Australia, reaching Category 1 strength on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale for a short time. Alfred was also forecast to stay offshore, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, but was expected to bring hazardous coastal conditions to southern Queensland. The storm was at Category 2 strength on the day of this image but would intensify to Category 4 on February 27.
Read more at NASA Earth Observatory
Image: NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using MODIS and VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS).
