On February 21, the seventeenth tropical depression formed in the South Pacific Ocean. Today, February 22, the storm has strengthened into Tropical Storm 17P (TS 17P) with maximum sustained winds near 39 mph, and it was about 740 miles east-northeast of Pago Pago. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-11 captured a visible image of the storm at 1800 UTC (1 p.m. ET) February 22. The storm does not appear well organized. TD 17P was located near 9.6 South latitude and 159.0 East longitude, and was moving south-southwest near 4 mph (3 knots). TS 17P was creating 15 foot-high waves in open waters. Although TS 17P is expected to continue tracking in open waters its winds and surf may impact some land areas. So, regional warnings have been posted for the Northern Cook Islands. Currently, a gale wind warning is in effect for Penrhyn and an alert is in effect for Rakahanga, Manihiki and nearby islands. |
Gelane is Now a Low Pressure Area Raining on Mauritius Tropical cyclone Gelane faded into a low pressure area over the weekend after reaching category four cyclone strength last week. The final warning on the storm was issued on Sunday, February 21. It is now bringing some showers to Mauritius. The forecast for today, February 22, from the Mauritius Meteorological Services at 2 p.m. ET said that the low, formerly known as Gelane was about 136 miles (220 kilometers) east-southeast of Mauritius and moving slowly southward. Over the next day, skies will be variably cloudy with some passing showers. Those showers may be more frequent over higher elevations to the east and south. Winds will range from 9-22 mph (15-25 km/hr) with higher gusts. The seas will remain rough, so the public was advised not to venture into the open sea. |
