Tropical Cyclone Bune was born early today in the South Pacific Ocean.Bune developed from System 99P, a low pressure area that was about 200 miles southeast of Suva. The low intensified into tropical depression 19P and today strengthened further into Tropical Storm Bune. A Tropical Cyclone Alert is in force for Lau, Lomaiviti and nearby smaller islands. A strong wind warning is also in force for the Lau group, Lomaiviti group and nearby smaller islands.

NASA’s Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Bune that showed strongest convection (rapidly rising air that forms the thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone) was occurring on the north side of the center of circulation. That’s where the cloud top temperatures were the coldest, and the thunderstorms were the highest, and strongest. The low-level circulation center also appears to be consolidating (strengthening) on infrared imagery.

Tropical cyclone Cherono in the South Indian Ocean on March 22, 2011 at 0225 UTC (March 21 at 10:25 p.m. EDT). TRMM’s Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) showed that Cherono, although weakened, still had some life and was producing very heavy rainfall of over 50 mm/hr (~2 inches) south-southeast of Reunion Island.

The image of Cherono’s rainfall was created by Hal Pierce of the TRMM team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Rain rates in the center of the image swath are from the TRMM PR, the only spaceborne radar of its kind, while those in the outer portion are from the TMI. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS).