The short-lived Tropical Cyclone Haley was just forming in the
South Pacific Ocean when NASA’s Terra satellite passed overhead
in early February, 2013 and caught a glimpse of the action. The
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard
that satellite captured this true-color image on February 9 at
2020 UTC (3:20 p.m. EST). At that time, the storm had a circular
center with banding features, clues that the low pressure system
was rapidly gaining organization. The low became Tropical Storm
Haley on February 10, and was located over open waters of the
South Pacific Ocean about 374 miles (602 km) south-southwest of
Bora Bora, Society Islands, French Polynesia. Maximum sustained
winds quickly reached 45 knots (51.7 mph/83.3 kph). Haley lost
power nearly as quickly as it had strengthened. On February 11,
at 0300 UTC, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued its final
advisory on Tropical Cyclone Haley. At that time, Haley's center
was located near 24.8 south latitude and 150.0 west longitude,
about 5