Cyclone Anja Hits Wind Shear, Weakens Drastically

At 1500 UTC (10 a.m. ET) on November 17, Anja’s maximum sustained winds were sustained at 75 knots (86 mph). Anja’s center was located 715 miles east-northeast of La Reunion Island, near 18.3 South and 66.5 East. Anja is moving south-southwest at 12 mph. The storm seems to be spreading out as its weakening, as tropical storm force winds now extend out to 115 miles from the center (earlier today, they only extended 75 miles out from the center).

When the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed over Anja on November 15 at 0904 UTC it had a well-defined eye and was increasing in strength from a category 2 tropical cyclone (on the Saffir-Simpson scale) to a powerful category 3 tropical cyclone later that day. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

Storm in Southern Indian Ocean

Overnight Cyclone Anja continued on its power trip. Yesterday, November 16, Anja was a Category 3 Cyclone. Today, Anja has reached Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson scale as the storm’s maximum sustained winds have increased to 115 knots (132 mph).

At 10 p.m. ET on November 16 (0300 UTC November 17), Anja was located about 715 miles east-northeast of La Reunion Island, near 16.4S and 67.3E. Reunion Island is located east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The nearest island is Mauritius which is 120 miles to the northwest. Anja was moving toward the south-southwest near 13 mph.