Despite the warning for Western Australia to brace for a category 1 cyclone Yvette with a wind speed of around 101 miles per hour (164 kilometers per hour), NASA said a vertical wind shear has weakened the wind's intensity.
According to NASA, a visible-light image of tropical cyclone Yvette captured by the agency's Radiometer Suite on NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP showed bulk clouds pushed north and west of the center by a vertical wind shear.
As a result, the low-level circulation center has displaced thunderstorms and escalated convection. The wind is now moving with a low speed at 434 miles (700 kilometers) northwest of Karratha, and wind gust is at 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour).
Meanwhile, NASA's newly launched Earth-observing mission, comprising eight satellites, is expected to sharpen forecasts on hurricanes by using radio signals from the GPS satellites to measure wind speed. On Dec. 15, CYGNSS was placed into orbit after being launched from a position flown in by a Stargazer carrier plane.
Christmas Day Cyclone
The update on cyclone is that of a subdued landfall.
"On Christmas Eve, we think it will intensify and become a Category 2 which will bring mean winds of between 89km/h and 117km/h, and single gusts of up to 164km/h, so it will pack some punch," said Neil Bennett spokesman for Australia's Bureau of Meteorology.
Each season, an average of five tropical cyclones hit northwest Australia,
Meteorological sources said more cyclone is expected this season compared to a single cyclone that struck Pilbara in January.
Western Australia Outlook
However, warnings apart, there is hope that Western Australia might be spared of the cyclone as tropical low is unlikely to intensify before land fall.
As a result, the cyclone watch at Cape Leveque to De Grey has been called off. Heavy rain is lashing parts of Kimberley and North Interior.
Bennett said the heavy rainfall in individual areas was more than 200 millimeters in 24 hours. Flood warnings for the North Kimberley District, the Ord River, and the West Kimberley District have been issued.
Nock-Ten Scare In Philippines
Meanwhile, the Philippines is bracing for a powerful tropical storm - Nock-ten in the northwest Pacific, the strongest to hit since 1963.
Thousands of people from the Philippines' coastal villages at the central region had been evacuated ahead of strong winds and heavy rains.
According to authorities, the Bicol region will be hit first. The storm will weaken to category 2 as it moves over Luzon toward Manila by Monday.
Nock-ten, also called as Typhoon Nina, is generating winds over open waters at 149 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center warned.
Colorado State University's meteorologist Philip Klotzbach said Nock-ten is the strongest tropical cyclone to occur late in the year in more than six decades.
