NASA Aqua satellite first saw the tropical storm Frances began to form on Thursday, April 27. The category two of tropical cyclone Frances gradually intensified as it moves southwest through the Timor Sea.
The satellite captured the tropical depression intensified into the tropical cyclone Frances on Thursday as it was located in the northern part of the Melville island, according to NASA. As it intensified, Frances cyclone had the maximum speed of 50 knots (57.5 mph) when the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core satellite flew over the region. Following the data analysis from the GPM and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR), the center of Frances has a high precipitation of over 70 mm (2.8 inches) per hour.
Following the formation of Frances, Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABM) has issued a warning of high tide in the Northern Territory city since Thursday. Cyclone Frances is expected to remain over water as it moved toward the Indian Ocean.
Tropical storm Frances has become the category 3 as it moves toward the Indian Ocean this Friday. As it intensifies, cyclone Frances moved further away from the mainland of Australia into the Timor Sea. However, cyclone Frances has triggered the wet weather in Darwin, that forced the 2017 Mindil Beach Sunset Market to be closed. The seasonal market of Mindil Beach will re-open on Sunday.
Australia is still in the cyclone season, as reported by Sydney Morning Herald. The Land Down Under currently experiences a record breaking cold temperature as the cyclone season due to end next Sunday. Currently, Sydney experiences the coldest April morning in five years, as well as some other parts of Australia.
In New South Wales and Queensland, the temperature dropped to the lowest in years. Toowoomba and Longreach even recorded the coldest temperature in 18 years. Watch the movement of the tropical storm Frances as it heads toward the Indian Ocean and intensifying into the category 3 on Friday below:
