File:Jasper Takes Aim at Queensland (MODIS 2023-12-13).jpg

English: The 2023 tropical cyclone season in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific oceans has come to a close, but in the southern hemisphere near Australia, it has just begun. The region’s first tropical cyclone of the season, Tropical Cyclone Jasper, formed in the Coral Sea in the first week of December.

The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Jasper at 4:10 Universal Time (3:10 p.m. local time) on December 12 as it neared northeastern Queensland.

With top wind speeds of 220 kilometers (140 miles) per hour, the storm previously underwent rapid intensification to reach Category-4 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind scale. It later weakened when it faced dry air and wind shear, preventing a more symmetrical structure and clear eye by the time of this image.

Forecasters with the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect Jasper to strengthen slightly on its final approach and make landfall near Wujal Wujal, north of Port Douglas on December 13, carrying maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour, making it the equivalent of a weak Category 1 storm. Some areas could receive up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) of rain over six hours and up to 50 centimeters over 24 hours, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.

Queensland’s Deputy Premier Steven Miles gave an update on Tropical Cyclone Jasper early on December 13, local time. He was quoted as warning that Jasper could intensify before making landfall, and that, “Heavy to local intense rainfall, which may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flooding, is forecast and may continue for days to come.” About 8,300 homes in north Queensland had already lost power.