File:Cyclone Yasa, Fiji - South Pacific Ocean.jpg

English: Cyclone Yasa is the first named storm of the 2020-2021 season in the South Pacific. It reached Category 5 level on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale as it approached Fiji, with wind speeds of up to 260 kilometres per hour. Only 24 hours ago it was at Category 1. Local officials have warned the potential effects of the storm could be devastating. In addition to winds over 200 km/h, the storm will also bring over 250 mm of rainfall, which could trigger flooding and landslides. The extreme intensity of the storm will cause very rough seas with 14 metre-high waves and storm surges which could bring flooding to low-lying coastal communities. Yasa is the strongest storm of the season so far and it is very unusual that a Category 5 storm develops this early in the season. It could be the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Fiji since Category 5 storm Winston in February 2016. This true colour image has been captured by one of the two Sentinel-3 satellites at 22:01 UTC on 16 December and shows a wide view of Cyclone Yasa as it was getting closer to the Fiji Islands. The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission is composed of two twin satellites (Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B) that are equipped with two optical instruments, the Ocean Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) and the Sea Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR). The two sensors provide imagery with a daily revisit that enables us to improve our scientific knowledge on atmospheric composition and gather essential information for climate studies and weather forecasting.