https://phys.org/news/2018-08-nasa-strong-storms-atlantic-potential.html > Infrared satellite imagery provides temperature data, and when NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the low pressure area east-southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands, the coldest cloud tops appeared fragmented in four areas, > Cloud top temperatures determine strength of the thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone. The colder the cloud top, the stronger the uplift in the storm that helps thunderstorm development. Basically, infrared data helps determine where the most powerful storms are within a tropical cyclone.