NASA satellite data appears to have good news today for residents of Western Australia because Cyclone Dianne has moved further away from land, although residents of southwestern Australia should keep an eye on the storm early next week. The same infrared satellite data also indicates that Dianne as strengthened and grown larger since yesterday.

When NASA’s Aqua satellite flew over Tropical Cyclone Dianne on Feb. 18 at 06:47 UTC (2:47 p.m. Australia/Perth local time/1:47 a.m. EST) it provided information to forecasters that showed Dianne moving farther west than previously forecast. That movement is keeping the storm farther away from Western Australia and that’s good news because Dianne strengthened.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on the Aqua satellite showed a larger area of strong thunderstorms around Dianne’s center today, Feb. 18, compared to yesterday. The greatest area of deep convection (rapidly rising air that forms the thunderstorms that power the tropical cyclone) are over the northern semi-circle of the storm.

The remnant low pressure area formerly known as Tropical Storm Carlos still has a few strong thunderstorms within, as revealed in infrared imagery from NASA today. Carlos’ remnants are forecast to continue raining on the northern coastline of Australia’s Northern Territory this weekend.

An infrared image of remnant low Carlos, taken on Feb. 18 at 2:41 p.m. Darwin Australia local time (12:11 a.m. EST/0511 UTC) from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite showed the bulk of precipitation hugging the coastline of the Northern Territory. Some spotty areas did have very high thunderstorm cloud tops that were as cold as -52 Celsius (-63 Fahrenheit). Most of those coldest cloud top temperatures (that indicate strongest thunderstorms) were over the Timor Sea at that time. The waters of the Timor Sea are likely contributing to the isolated areas of strong convection in the low pressure area.