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Typhoon Utor from TRMM: July …
Title Typhoon Utor from TRMM: July 5, 2001
Abstract Typhoon Utor hits Taiwan on its way towards mainland China. This data from TRMM was taken at about 6:45 UTC on July 5, 2001. Isosurfaces are: Yellow=0.5 inches/hour, Green=1.0 inches/hour, Red=2.0 inches/hour on rainfall rates.
Completed 2001-07-05
Typhoon Utor from TRMM: July …
Title Typhoon Utor from TRMM: July 5, 2001
Abstract Typhoon Utor hits Taiwan on its way towards mainland China. This data from TRMM was taken at about 6:45 UTC on July 5, 2001. Isosurfaces are: Yellow=0.5 inches/hour, Green=1.0 inches/hour, Red=2.0 inches/hour on rainfall rates.
Completed 2001-07-05
Typhoon Utor from TRMM: July …
Title Typhoon Utor from TRMM: July 5, 2001
Abstract Typhoon Utor hits Taiwan on its way towards mainland China. This data from TRMM was taken at about 6:45 UTC on July 5, 2001. Isosurfaces are: Yellow=0.5 inches/hour, Green=1.0 inches/hour, Red=2.0 inches/hour on rainfall rates.
Completed 2001-07-05
SeaWiFS: Typhoon Bilis
Title SeaWiFS: Typhoon Bilis
Abstract 'Super' Typhoon Bilis was one of the largest Typhoons on record. On August 23, 2000, it slammed Taiwan on its way to China.
Completed 2000-08-15
SeaWiFS: Typhoon Bilis
Title SeaWiFS: Typhoon Bilis
Abstract 'Super' Typhoon Bilis was one of the largest Typhoons on record. On August 23, 2000, it slammed Taiwan on its way to China.
Completed 2000-08-15
Floods in Southern China
Title Floods in Southern China
Description Seasonal rains during June 2005 have resulted in widespread flooding across southern and eastern China. The floods and associated mudslides have left hundreds dead and forced thousands from their homes, with the most severe damage in Guangxi and Guangdong in southern China. The rains are a normal part of life in southern China, where May and June are "Meiyu" season. "Meiyu" literally means ?plum rain,? which refers to the widespread rains that can occur at the time when plums ripen. This image shows rainfall totals over southeastern China between June 13 and June 28, 2005. A broad band of red, representing the highest totals, stretches across southern China, including the provinces of Guangxi and Guangdong, and the northern part of the South China Sea and into Taiwan. This area received between 80 (green areas) and 400 (dark red areas) millimeters (about 4-16 inches) of rain during this two-week period. The data used to create this image are from NASA?s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite. TRMM was launched in November 1997 to provide better estimates of rainfall over the global Tropics. The satellite can cover vast areas of the Tropics where rainfall is poorly measured, such as over oceans and land areas where radar coverage is poor or lacking. Since that time, TRMM has been providing unprecedented estimates of rainfall over the Tropics using its array of passive and active sensors. This image was produced by the TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, which provides rainfall estimates over the global Tropics. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Haze Over Eastern China
Title Haze Over Eastern China
Description *Haze Over Eastern China* The widespread pall of haze and pollution continued to hang over eastern China on February 15, 2004. Some of the pollution can be seen blowing over and just north of Taiwan and eastward far out to sea over the Pacific Ocean in this true-color image acquired by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS). The strong winds blowing over eastern China have several other effects evident in this scene. Note the patterns of suspended sediments (light browns and turquoise) in the East China Sea, which are being churned up in the water column by the strong winds. These sediments are being washed out of the mouth of the Yangtze River and Hangzhou Bay in such abundance that they color the water a deep caramel along a long stretch of coastline, making it almost indistinguishable from land in some areas. Note also the cloud vortex streets extending southward from Korea and Japan, as well as the brownish dust and haze streaming eastward north of Tokyo. Image courtesy the SeaWiFS Project, [ http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov ] NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE [ http://www.orbimage.com/ ]
Particle Pollution in Easter …
Title Particle Pollution in Eastern China
Description This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from October 22, 2004, shows trans-boundary pollution from eastern China spreading out over the east China Sea south of the Korean Peninsula (top right) and out of the scene at image right, where the westernmost edge of the Japanese island of Kyushu is visible. Urban and industrial pollution is a major environmental concern for China and the countries downwind. This image was captured by the MODIS on NASA's Terra satellite. Other geographic reference points include the island of Taiwan, at bottom center, and the mouth of the Yangtze River, roughly in image center. Just south of South Korea, the island of Cheju is creating a swirling wake in the clouds to its south. Cheju is home to the Halla volcano, a shield volcano that last erupted in 1007. It appears that a plume of dust or smoke from the island is joining the larger flow from mainland China. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Smog Obscures Chinese Coast
Title Smog Obscures Chinese Coast
Description Most of southeastern China has been covered by a thick greyish shroud of aerosol pollution over the last few weeks. The smog is so thick it is difficult to see the surface in some regions of this scene, acquired on January 7, 2002. The city of Hong Kong is the large brown cluster of pixels toward the lower lefthand corner of the image (indicated by the faint black box). The island of Taiwan, due east of mainland China, is also blanketed by the smog. This true-color image was captured by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Smog Obscures Chinese Coast
Title Smog Obscures Chinese Coast
Description Most of southeastern China has been covered by a thick greyish shroud of aerosol pollution over the last few weeks. The smog is so thick it is difficult to see the surface in some regions of this scene, acquired on January 7, 2002. The city of Hong Kong is the large brown cluster of pixels toward the lower lefthand corner of the image (indicated by the faint black box). The island of Taiwan, due east of mainland China, is also blanketed by the smog. This true-color image was captured by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Super Typhoon Haitang
Title Super Typhoon Haitang
Description Super Typhoon Haitang is shown here bearing down on Taiwan on the morning of July 18, 2005. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite at 02:20 UTC (10:20 p.m. Taipei time). At this time, the typhoon had weakened slightly from a Category 4 to Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Sustained winds were around 200 kilometers per hour (105 knots) with peak gusts as high as 240 km/hr (130 knots). The super typhoon has started to come ashore in Taiwan. As it crosses the island, the storm is losing some of its strength, but may then rebuild slightly as it crosses the Taiwan Straits and comes ashore again in eastern China. Projections call for it to make landfall in mainland China on July 19. In Taiwan, the storm has caused significant damage especially in the coastal towns of Hualien and Suao. At least one casuality has been due to the storm, where a woman was swept away by a flash flooding river in Taoyuan County, west of Taipei. NASA image provided courtesy of Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response team.
Super Typhoon Haitang
Title Super Typhoon Haitang
Description Taiwan suffered a direct hit from Typhoon Haitang on the afternoon of Monday July 18, 2005 local time with sustained winds reported at 184 kph (114 mph) by the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau. The storm cut directly across the north central part of the island and after crossing the Taiwan Straits is expected to make landfall again on the southeast coast of China. This image shows the storm at 03:59 UTC on the 17th of July as it approaches Taiwan. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while those in the outer portion are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). The PR shows a small, well-defined eye surrounded by tight concentric bands of moderate (green) to heavy (red) rain, especially to the northeast of the center. These features are indicative of a mature intense cyclone. At the time of this image, Haitang's sustained winds were estimated to be 140 knots (161 mph) by Joint Typhoon Warning Center, making it a Category 5 super typhoon. Launched in 1997, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has served as a valuable platform for monitoring tropical cyclones. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Super Typhoon Haitang
Title Super Typhoon Haitang
Description Super Typhoon Haitang is shown here on the morning of July 20, 2005. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite at 05:15 UTC (3:15 p.m. local time), well after it come ashore onto mainland China and lost much of its power and been downgraded to a tropical storm. Four deaths in Taiwan are attributed to the storm as it passed over the island, and as many as 1 million people have been evacuated in mainland China. All flights out of the cities of Fuzhou and Quanzhou were cancelled in view of the danger of the storm. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Super Typhoon Haitang
Title Super Typhoon Haitang
Description Super Typhoon Haitang is shown here bearing down on Taiwan on the afternoon of July 17, 2005. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite at 04:40 UTC (12:40 p.m. Taipei time). At this time, the typhoon had built into a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, sufficient for it to be dubbed a super typhoon. Sustained winds were around 230 kilometers per hour (125 knots) with peak gusts as high as 280 km/hr (150 knots). The super typhoon by this time was projected to change course and come ashore in Taiwan. As it crosses the island, the storm will lose some of its strength, but may then rebuild as it crosses the Taiwan Straits and comes ashore again in eastern China. Projections call for it to land in Taiwan early on July 18, and then make landfall in mainland China on July 19. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Super Typhoon Wipha
Title Super Typhoon Wipha
Description Super Typhoon Wipha was approaching the coast of China on the afternoon of September 18, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this photo-like image. At the time (12:40 p.m. local time, 4:40 UTC), Wipha had winds between 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour or 135 knots) and 240 km/hr (150 mph or 130 knots), making it a strong Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] storm and a Super Typhoon (a typhoon with winds of at least 130 knots). The storm weakened shortly after this image was taken and was forecast to weaken further before making landfall over the densely populated East China coast late on September 18 or early on September 19. Though the storm was weakening, it was anticipated to be the strongest storm to hit China in a decade, reported Xinhua, China's news agency. In preparation for the storm, the government evacuated about two million people in three provinces, said Xinhua. The storm had already started to soak Taiwan with heavy rains by the time this image was taken. The spiraling bands of rain clouds cover the island in this image, though the dark, well-defined eye remains offshore to the north. The image also reveals just how large Wipha was. Including its outer bands, which stretch from the Philippines (visible in the large image) in the south to the East China coast in the north, Wipha sprawls over several hundred kilometers. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. You can also download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Super Typhoon Wipia [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/Wipha.A2007261.0440.250m.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Super Typhoon Wipha
Title Super Typhoon Wipha
Description The top image provides a unique view of the remains of Typhoon Wipha about 16 hours after the center of the storm made landfall near Cangnan, in southern Zhejiang province on the east coast of China. The image was taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite at 7:11 pm local time (11:11 UTC) on September 19, 2007, and it shows the horizontal pattern of rain intensity within the storm. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, and those in the outer swath come from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. At this stage, Wipha no longer had a defined eye. Instead, the center of circulation was surrounded by broken areas of mostly light rain (blue areas). Most of the rain is farther to the north (larger blue area). Wipha was a Category 3 typhoon just before landfall, with sustained winds estimated at 100 knots (115 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. At the time of the TRMM overpass on September 19, sustained winds were down to 50 knots (58 mph). Most tropical cyclones weaken quickly after making landfall. Without active, deep convection near the center to fuel the storm, the circulation will spin down. The change in shape and intensity are evident in comparing the September 19 image to an image made with data collected on September 18. Just before Wipha made landfall, its center was defined by circular bands of heavy rain, shown in green and yellow in the lower image. A small band of extremely intense rain, depicted in red, is southeast of the storm's center. By the next day, Wipha no longer exhibited the structured bands of rain seen on September 18. Wipha became a tropical storm on September 16 in the central Philippine Sea. The system tracked northwestward and quickly intensified to a Category 4 storm as it approached Taiwan. Although the center passed northeast of Taiwan, Wipha was blamed for one fatality on the island. As of September 20, two persons had been reported dead in China as a result of the storm, said news reports. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Super Typhoon Wipha
Title Super Typhoon Wipha
Description The top image provides a unique view of the remains of Typhoon Wipha about 16 hours after the center of the storm made landfall near Cangnan, in southern Zhejiang province on the east coast of China. The image was taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite at 7:11 pm local time (11:11 UTC) on September 19, 2007, and it shows the horizontal pattern of rain intensity within the storm. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, and those in the outer swath come from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. At this stage, Wipha no longer had a defined eye. Instead, the center of circulation was surrounded by broken areas of mostly light rain (blue areas). Most of the rain is farther to the north (larger blue area). Wipha was a Category 3 typhoon just before landfall, with sustained winds estimated at 100 knots (115 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. At the time of the TRMM overpass on September 19, sustained winds were down to 50 knots (58 mph). Most tropical cyclones weaken quickly after making landfall. Without active, deep convection near the center to fuel the storm, the circulation will spin down. The change in shape and intensity are evident in comparing the September 19 image to an image made with data collected on September 18. Just before Wipha made landfall, its center was defined by circular bands of heavy rain, shown in green and yellow in the lower image. A small band of extremely intense rain, depicted in red, is southeast of the storm's center. By the next day, Wipha no longer exhibited the structured bands of rain seen on September 18. Wipha became a tropical storm on September 16 in the central Philippine Sea. The system tracked northwestward and quickly intensified to a Category 4 storm as it approached Taiwan. Although the center passed northeast of Taiwan, Wipha was blamed for one fatality on the island. As of September 20, two persons had been reported dead in China as a result of the storm, said news reports. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Tropical Storm Kompasu
Title Tropical Storm Kompasu
Description Tropical Storm Kompasu hit the southern coastline of China near Hong Kong on Friday July 16, 2004 with winds of up to 45 mph. No significant damage was reported, but 12 people were injured by the storm. Kompasu formed into a tropical depression in the central Philippine Sea on the 10th of July. The system moved due west through the Luzon Strait south of Taiwan and emerged into the northern South China Sea. Kompasu strengthened only minimally becoming a weak tropical storm on the 14th as it passed through the strait. The storm then turned northwest before striking the south coast of China. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] or TRMM satellite has so far continued to fulfill its mission of monitoring rainfall over the global tropics since its launch in November of 1997. With its array of passive and active sensors, TRMM has also been providing a unique perspective on tropical cyclones. Such was the case with Kompasu. The first image, top, was taken at 22:21 UTC on July 14, 2004, after Kompasu had entered the northern South China Sea. Kompasu was then a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This particular image reveals only a partially organized storm. Some banding is evident in the rain field (blue and green arcs), but the storm does not have an eye and nor is there any significant rainfall nears its center. This indicates that Kompasu is not likely to intensify very rapidly. The second image was taken at 05:35 UTC on the 16th just as Kompasu was about to hit the coast of China. The storm is still lacking an eye, and rain field is very asymmetrical with most of the rain located south or southeast of the center (blue, green and red areas). The heaviest rain (red) appears just south of the center. Maximum sustained winds at this time were only estimated to be about 40 knots (46 mph). Another image taken at the same time on July 16 shows a vertical cross section through the center of the storm from the PR looking northeast. It shows the deeper, more intense rain (dark red area) southeast of the center on the right and only weak, shallow rain (small mainly green area) northwest of the center on the left. TRMM data and images are routinely used by operational centers such as the NOAA Hurricane Prediction Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Tropical Storm Kompasu
Title Tropical Storm Kompasu
Description Tropical Storm Kompasu hit the southern coastline of China near Hong Kong on Friday July 16, 2004 with winds of up to 45 mph. No significant damage was reported, but 12 people were injured by the storm. Kompasu formed into a tropical depression in the central Philippine Sea on the 10th of July. The system moved due west through the Luzon Strait south of Taiwan and emerged into the northern South China Sea. Kompasu strengthened only minimally becoming a weak tropical storm on the 14th as it passed through the strait. The storm then turned northwest before striking the south coast of China. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] or TRMM satellite has so far continued to fulfill its mission of monitoring rainfall over the global tropics since its launch in November of 1997. With its array of passive and active sensors, TRMM has also been providing a unique perspective on tropical cyclones. Such was the case with Kompasu. The first image, top, was taken at 22:21 UTC on July 14, 2004, after Kompasu had entered the northern South China Sea. Kompasu was then a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This particular image reveals only a partially organized storm. Some banding is evident in the rain field (blue and green arcs), but the storm does not have an eye and nor is there any significant rainfall nears its center. This indicates that Kompasu is not likely to intensify very rapidly. The second image was taken at 05:35 UTC on the 16th just as Kompasu was about to hit the coast of China. The storm is still lacking an eye, and rain field is very asymmetrical with most of the rain located south or southeast of the center (blue, green and red areas). The heaviest rain (red) appears just south of the center. Maximum sustained winds at this time were only estimated to be about 40 knots (46 mph). Another image taken at the same time on July 16 shows a vertical cross section through the center of the storm from the PR looking northeast. It shows the deeper, more intense rain (dark red area) southeast of the center on the right and only weak, shallow rain (small mainly green area) northwest of the center on the left. TRMM data and images are routinely used by operational centers such as the NOAA Hurricane Prediction Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Tropical Storm Kompasu
Title Tropical Storm Kompasu
Description Tropical Storm Kompasu hit the southern coastline of China near Hong Kong on Friday July 16, 2004 with winds of up to 45 mph. No significant damage was reported, but 12 people were injured by the storm. Kompasu formed into a tropical depression in the central Philippine Sea on the 10th of July. The system moved due west through the Luzon Strait south of Taiwan and emerged into the northern South China Sea. Kompasu strengthened only minimally becoming a weak tropical storm on the 14th as it passed through the strait. The storm then turned northwest before striking the south coast of China. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] or TRMM satellite has so far continued to fulfill its mission of monitoring rainfall over the global tropics since its launch in November of 1997. With its array of passive and active sensors, TRMM has also been providing a unique perspective on tropical cyclones. Such was the case with Kompasu. The first image, top, was taken at 22:21 UTC on July 14, 2004, after Kompasu had entered the northern South China Sea. Kompasu was then a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This particular image reveals only a partially organized storm. Some banding is evident in the rain field (blue and green arcs), but the storm does not have an eye and nor is there any significant rainfall nears its center. This indicates that Kompasu is not likely to intensify very rapidly. The second image was taken at 05:35 UTC on the 16th just as Kompasu was about to hit the coast of China. The storm is still lacking an eye, and rain field is very asymmetrical with most of the rain located south or southeast of the center (blue, green and red areas). The heaviest rain (red) appears just south of the center. Maximum sustained winds at this time were only estimated to be about 40 knots (46 mph). Another image taken at the same time on July 16 shows a vertical cross section through the center of the storm from the PR looking northeast. It shows the deeper, more intense rain (dark red area) southeast of the center on the right and only weak, shallow rain (small mainly green area) northwest of the center on the left. TRMM data and images are routinely used by operational centers such as the NOAA Hurricane Prediction Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Tropical Storm Kompasu
Title Tropical Storm Kompasu
Description Tropical Storm Kompasu hit the southern coastline of China near Hong Kong on Friday July 16, 2004 with winds of up to 45 mph. No significant damage was reported, but 12 people were injured by the storm. Kompasu formed into a tropical depression in the central Philippine Sea on the 10th of July. The system moved due west through the Luzon Strait south of Taiwan and emerged into the northern South China Sea. Kompasu strengthened only minimally becoming a weak tropical storm on the 14th as it passed through the strait. The storm then turned northwest before striking the south coast of China. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] or TRMM satellite has so far continued to fulfill its mission of monitoring rainfall over the global tropics since its launch in November of 1997. With its array of passive and active sensors, TRMM has also been providing a unique perspective on tropical cyclones. Such was the case with Kompasu. The first image, top, was taken at 22:21 UTC on July 14, 2004, after Kompasu had entered the northern South China Sea. Kompasu was then a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This particular image reveals only a partially organized storm. Some banding is evident in the rain field (blue and green arcs), but the storm does not have an eye and nor is there any significant rainfall nears its center. This indicates that Kompasu is not likely to intensify very rapidly. The second image was taken at 05:35 UTC on the 16th just as Kompasu was about to hit the coast of China. The storm is still lacking an eye, and rain field is very asymmetrical with most of the rain located south or southeast of the center (blue, green and red areas). The heaviest rain (red) appears just south of the center. Maximum sustained winds at this time were only estimated to be about 40 knots (46 mph). Another image taken at the same time on July 16 shows a vertical cross section through the center of the storm from the PR looking northeast. It shows the deeper, more intense rain (dark red area) southeast of the center on the right and only weak, shallow rain (small mainly green area) northwest of the center on the left. TRMM data and images are routinely used by operational centers such as the NOAA Hurricane Prediction Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Typhoon Aere
Title Typhoon Aere
Description The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of Typhoon Aere on August 25, 2004 at 5:20 UTC. At the time this image was taken Aere was located about 130 km (81 miles) northwest of Taipei, Taiwan and was moving towards the west at 17 km/hr (10 mph). Maximum sustained winds were near 143 km/hr (89 mph) with higher gusts to 167 km/hr (104 mph). Aere made landfall on southeast China's Fujian province at 8:30 UTC and was expected to also strike Zhejiang province, an area that is still mopping up after Typhoon Rananim left 164 people dead and 1,800 injured just weeks ago. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions and formats. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.
Typhoon Conson (07W)
Title Typhoon Conson (07W)
Description Typhoon Conson began as a weak tropical depression almost 12 days ago in the West Pacific south of the western Caroline Islands. The system moved steadily west-northwest without gaining any strength as it passed through the central Philippines. On the 2nd of June 2004, Conson emerged into the South China Sea west of the Philippines. Between the 4th and 7th, Conson traversed a slow loop over the South China Sea west of the main northern island of Luzon and strengthened into a tropical storm. On the 7th, Conson began moving towards the north-northeast and gathered enough strength to become a typhoon. The system continued its movement towards the north-northeast on the 8th bringing it closer to southern Taiwan. The system also continued to strengthen. On the 9th, Typhoon Conson passed through the Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan before passing east of the island. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured these images of Conson showing the storm's evolution from a tropical storm into a typhoon. The first image was taken at 17:32 UTC on 5 June 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of the first image, Conson still just a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM shows that the storm has a well-defined circulation but lacks a complete eyewall with only moderate (green) rain intensities immediately west of the center. Isolated heavier rain (red areas) occurs in the outer rainbands. The next image taken at 16:24 UTC on the 8th shows a much stronger storm. The rainbands are tightly wrapped around the center which now contains intense (dark red areas) rain areas in the northern and eastern part of the eyewall. These intense rainrates show where heat is being released that fuels the storm. The typhoon is now over the Luzon Straight between the northern Philippines and southern Taiwan and has winds of 90 knots (104 mph). The next image was taken at the same time and shows a vertical slice through the center of the storm looking east. It shows the convection on the east side of the storm is much taller (blue areas above the yellow areas) and more intense (dark red area) than on the west side. The last set of images were taken at 16:14 UTC on the 10th as Conson was approaching the southern islands of Japan. At this time, Conson is starting to become extratropical as it accelerates to the northeast. The top down image reveals that the center has become ragged and disorganized. Some intense rainfall (dark reds) still exists north of the center and in a trailing rainband. The vertical slice taken through the convection north of the center looking east shows an area of intense rain (dark red area), and evidence of a bright band (horizontal red/yellow layer). Bright bands are brought about by melting of larger ice particles. This final image also shows that the convective towers are not as deep as they were earlier (blue areas above the yellow areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Conson (07W)
Title Typhoon Conson (07W)
Description Typhoon Conson began as a weak tropical depression almost 12 days ago in the West Pacific south of the western Caroline Islands. The system moved steadily west-northwest without gaining any strength as it passed through the central Philippines. On the 2nd of June 2004, Conson emerged into the South China Sea west of the Philippines. Between the 4th and 7th, Conson traversed a slow loop over the South China Sea west of the main northern island of Luzon and strengthened into a tropical storm. On the 7th, Conson began moving towards the north-northeast and gathered enough strength to become a typhoon. The system continued its movement towards the north-northeast on the 8th bringing it closer to southern Taiwan. The system also continued to strengthen. On the 9th, Typhoon Conson passed through the Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan before passing east of the island. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured these images of Conson showing the storm's evolution from a tropical storm into a typhoon. The first image was taken at 17:32 UTC on 5 June 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of the first image, Conson still just a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM shows that the storm has a well-defined circulation but lacks a complete eyewall with only moderate (green) rain intensities immediately west of the center. Isolated heavier rain (red areas) occurs in the outer rainbands. The next image taken at 16:24 UTC on the 8th shows a much stronger storm. The rainbands are tightly wrapped around the center which now contains intense (dark red areas) rain areas in the northern and eastern part of the eyewall. These intense rainrates show where heat is being released that fuels the storm. The typhoon is now over the Luzon Straight between the northern Philippines and southern Taiwan and has winds of 90 knots (104 mph). The next image was taken at the same time and shows a vertical slice through the center of the storm looking east. It shows the convection on the east side of the storm is much taller (blue areas above the yellow areas) and more intense (dark red area) than on the west side. The last set of images were taken at 16:14 UTC on the 10th as Conson was approaching the southern islands of Japan. At this time, Conson is starting to become extratropical as it accelerates to the northeast. The top down image reveals that the center has become ragged and disorganized. Some intense rainfall (dark reds) still exists north of the center and in a trailing rainband. The vertical slice taken through the convection north of the center looking east shows an area of intense rain (dark red area), and evidence of a bright band (horizontal red/yellow layer). Bright bands are brought about by melting of larger ice particles. This final image also shows that the convective towers are not as deep as they were earlier (blue areas above the yellow areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Conson (07W)
Title Typhoon Conson (07W)
Description Typhoon Conson began as a weak tropical depression almost 12 days ago in the West Pacific south of the western Caroline Islands. The system moved steadily west-northwest without gaining any strength as it passed through the central Philippines. On the 2nd of June 2004, Conson emerged into the South China Sea west of the Philippines. Between the 4th and 7th, Conson traversed a slow loop over the South China Sea west of the main northern island of Luzon and strengthened into a tropical storm. On the 7th, Conson began moving towards the north-northeast and gathered enough strength to become a typhoon. The system continued its movement towards the north-northeast on the 8th bringing it closer to southern Taiwan. The system also continued to strengthen. On the 9th, Typhoon Conson passed through the Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan before passing east of the island. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured these images of Conson showing the storm's evolution from a tropical storm into a typhoon. The first image was taken at 17:32 UTC on 5 June 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of the first image, Conson still just a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM shows that the storm has a well-defined circulation but lacks a complete eyewall with only moderate (green) rain intensities immediately west of the center. Isolated heavier rain (red areas) occurs in the outer rainbands. The next image taken at 16:24 UTC on the 8th shows a much stronger storm. The rainbands are tightly wrapped around the center which now contains intense (dark red areas) rain areas in the northern and eastern part of the eyewall. These intense rainrates show where heat is being released that fuels the storm. The typhoon is now over the Luzon Straight between the northern Philippines and southern Taiwan and has winds of 90 knots (104 mph). The next image was taken at the same time and shows a vertical slice through the center of the storm looking east. It shows the convection on the east side of the storm is much taller (blue areas above the yellow areas) and more intense (dark red area) than on the west side. The last set of images were taken at 16:14 UTC on the 10th as Conson was approaching the southern islands of Japan. At this time, Conson is starting to become extratropical as it accelerates to the northeast. The top down image reveals that the center has become ragged and disorganized. Some intense rainfall (dark reds) still exists north of the center and in a trailing rainband. The vertical slice taken through the convection north of the center looking east shows an area of intense rain (dark red area), and evidence of a bright band (horizontal red/yellow layer). Bright bands are brought about by melting of larger ice particles. This final image also shows that the convective towers are not as deep as they were earlier (blue areas above the yellow areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Conson (07W)
Title Typhoon Conson (07W)
Description Typhoon Conson began as a weak tropical depression almost 12 days ago in the West Pacific south of the western Caroline Islands. The system moved steadily west-northwest without gaining any strength as it passed through the central Philippines. On the 2nd of June 2004, Conson emerged into the South China Sea west of the Philippines. Between the 4th and 7th, Conson traversed a slow loop over the South China Sea west of the main northern island of Luzon and strengthened into a tropical storm. On the 7th, Conson began moving towards the north-northeast and gathered enough strength to become a typhoon. The system continued its movement towards the north-northeast on the 8th bringing it closer to southern Taiwan. The system also continued to strengthen. On the 9th, Typhoon Conson passed through the Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan before passing east of the island. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured these images of Conson showing the storm's evolution from a tropical storm into a typhoon. The first image was taken at 17:32 UTC on 5 June 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of the first image, Conson still just a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM shows that the storm has a well-defined circulation but lacks a complete eyewall with only moderate (green) rain intensities immediately west of the center. Isolated heavier rain (red areas) occurs in the outer rainbands. The next image taken at 16:24 UTC on the 8th shows a much stronger storm. The rainbands are tightly wrapped around the center which now contains intense (dark red areas) rain areas in the northern and eastern part of the eyewall. These intense rainrates show where heat is being released that fuels the storm. The typhoon is now over the Luzon Straight between the northern Philippines and southern Taiwan and has winds of 90 knots (104 mph). The next image was taken at the same time and shows a vertical slice through the center of the storm looking east. It shows the convection on the east side of the storm is much taller (blue areas above the yellow areas) and more intense (dark red area) than on the west side. The last set of images were taken at 16:14 UTC on the 10th as Conson was approaching the southern islands of Japan. At this time, Conson is starting to become extratropical as it accelerates to the northeast. The top down image reveals that the center has become ragged and disorganized. Some intense rainfall (dark reds) still exists north of the center and in a trailing rainband. The vertical slice taken through the convection north of the center looking east shows an area of intense rain (dark red area), and evidence of a bright band (horizontal red/yellow layer). Bright bands are brought about by melting of larger ice particles. This final image also shows that the convective towers are not as deep as they were earlier (blue areas above the yellow areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Conson (07W)
Title Typhoon Conson (07W)
Description Typhoon Conson began as a weak tropical depression almost 12 days ago in the West Pacific south of the western Caroline Islands. The system moved steadily west-northwest without gaining any strength as it passed through the central Philippines. On the 2nd of June 2004, Conson emerged into the South China Sea west of the Philippines. Between the 4th and 7th, Conson traversed a slow loop over the South China Sea west of the main northern island of Luzon and strengthened into a tropical storm. On the 7th, Conson began moving towards the north-northeast and gathered enough strength to become a typhoon. The system continued its movement towards the north-northeast on the 8th bringing it closer to southern Taiwan. The system also continued to strengthen. On the 9th, Typhoon Conson passed through the Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan before passing east of the island. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured these images of Conson showing the storm's evolution from a tropical storm into a typhoon. The first image was taken at 17:32 UTC on 5 June 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of the first image, Conson still just a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM shows that the storm has a well-defined circulation but lacks a complete eyewall with only moderate (green) rain intensities immediately west of the center. Isolated heavier rain (red areas) occurs in the outer rainbands. The next image taken at 16:24 UTC on the 8th shows a much stronger storm. The rainbands are tightly wrapped around the center which now contains intense (dark red areas) rain areas in the northern and eastern part of the eyewall. These intense rainrates show where heat is being released that fuels the storm. The typhoon is now over the Luzon Straight between the northern Philippines and southern Taiwan and has winds of 90 knots (104 mph). The next image was taken at the same time and shows a vertical slice through the center of the storm looking east. It shows the convection on the east side of the storm is much taller (blue areas above the yellow areas) and more intense (dark red area) than on the west side. The last set of images were taken at 16:14 UTC on the 10th as Conson was approaching the southern islands of Japan. At this time, Conson is starting to become extratropical as it accelerates to the northeast. The top down image reveals that the center has become ragged and disorganized. Some intense rainfall (dark reds) still exists north of the center and in a trailing rainband. The vertical slice taken through the convection north of the center looking east shows an area of intense rain (dark red area), and evidence of a bright band (horizontal red/yellow layer). Bright bands are brought about by melting of larger ice particles. This final image also shows that the convective towers are not as deep as they were earlier (blue areas above the yellow areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Conson (07W)
Title Typhoon Conson (07W)
Description Typhoon Conson began as a weak tropical depression almost 12 days ago in the West Pacific south of the western Caroline Islands. The system moved steadily west-northwest without gaining any strength as it passed through the central Philippines. On the 2nd of June 2004, Conson emerged into the South China Sea west of the Philippines. Between the 4th and 7th, Conson traversed a slow loop over the South China Sea west of the main northern island of Luzon and strengthened into a tropical storm. On the 7th, Conson began moving towards the north-northeast and gathered enough strength to become a typhoon. The system continued its movement towards the north-northeast on the 8th bringing it closer to southern Taiwan. The system also continued to strengthen. On the 9th, Typhoon Conson passed through the Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan before passing east of the island. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured these images of Conson showing the storm's evolution from a tropical storm into a typhoon. The first image was taken at 17:32 UTC on 5 June 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of the first image, Conson still just a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM shows that the storm has a well-defined circulation but lacks a complete eyewall with only moderate (green) rain intensities immediately west of the center. Isolated heavier rain (red areas) occurs in the outer rainbands. The next image taken at 16:24 UTC on the 8th shows a much stronger storm. The rainbands are tightly wrapped around the center which now contains intense (dark red areas) rain areas in the northern and eastern part of the eyewall. These intense rainrates show where heat is being released that fuels the storm. The typhoon is now over the Luzon Straight between the northern Philippines and southern Taiwan and has winds of 90 knots (104 mph). The next image was taken at the same time and shows a vertical slice through the center of the storm looking east. It shows the convection on the east side of the storm is much taller (blue areas above the yellow areas) and more intense (dark red area) than on the west side. The last set of images were taken at 16:14 UTC on the 10th as Conson was approaching the southern islands of Japan. At this time, Conson is starting to become extratropical as it accelerates to the northeast. The top down image reveals that the center has become ragged and disorganized. Some intense rainfall (dark reds) still exists north of the center and in a trailing rainband. The vertical slice taken through the convection north of the center looking east shows an area of intense rain (dark red area), and evidence of a bright band (horizontal red/yellow layer). Bright bands are brought about by melting of larger ice particles. This final image also shows that the convective towers are not as deep as they were earlier (blue areas above the yellow areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Conson (07W)
Title Typhoon Conson (07W)
Description Typhoon Conson began as a weak tropical depression almost 12 days ago in the West Pacific south of the western Caroline Islands. The system moved steadily west-northwest without gaining any strength as it passed through the central Philippines. On the 2nd of June 2004, Conson emerged into the South China Sea west of the Philippines. Between the 4th and 7th, Conson traversed a slow loop over the South China Sea west of the main northern island of Luzon and strengthened into a tropical storm. On the 7th, Conson began moving towards the north-northeast and gathered enough strength to become a typhoon. The system continued its movement towards the north-northeast on the 8th bringing it closer to southern Taiwan. The system also continued to strengthen. On the 9th, Typhoon Conson passed through the Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan before passing east of the island. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured these images of Conson showing the storm's evolution from a tropical storm into a typhoon. The first image was taken at 17:32 UTC on 5 June 2004. It shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). At the time of the first image, Conson still just a tropical storm with winds estimated at 45 knots (52 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. TRMM shows that the storm has a well-defined circulation but lacks a complete eyewall with only moderate (green) rain intensities immediately west of the center. Isolated heavier rain (red areas) occurs in the outer rainbands. The next image taken at 16:24 UTC on the 8th shows a much stronger storm. The rainbands are tightly wrapped around the center which now contains intense (dark red areas) rain areas in the northern and eastern part of the eyewall. These intense rainrates show where heat is being released that fuels the storm. The typhoon is now over the Luzon Straight between the northern Philippines and southern Taiwan and has winds of 90 knots (104 mph). The next image was taken at the same time and shows a vertical slice through the center of the storm looking east. It shows the convection on the east side of the storm is much taller (blue areas above the yellow areas) and more intense (dark red area) than on the west side. The last set of images were taken at 16:14 UTC on the 10th as Conson was approaching the southern islands of Japan. At this time, Conson is starting to become extratropical as it accelerates to the northeast. The top down image reveals that the center has become ragged and disorganized. Some intense rainfall (dark reds) still exists north of the center and in a trailing rainband. The vertical slice taken through the convection north of the center looking east shows an area of intense rain (dark red area), and evidence of a bright band (horizontal red/yellow layer). Bright bands are brought about by melting of larger ice particles. This final image also shows that the convective towers are not as deep as they were earlier (blue areas above the yellow areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Dujuan
Title Typhoon Dujuan
Description The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (TRMM) satellite captured this image of Typhoon Dujuan just after it had brushed the southern tip of Taiwan where it was responsible for two fatalities. The image was taken at 22:33 UTC on September 1, 2003. At the time, Dujuan was still classified as a powerful Category 4 storm with winds estimated at near 135 mph and was moving west-north-west towards the coast of China. The image gives a top down view of the storm. Rainfall rates from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) are overlayed on TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS) data (white areas). It shows that all of the deep convection and heavy rain rates (darker red areas) that are responsible for providing the heat energy needed to the fuel the storm are present only in the outer rain bands on the south and east sides of the storm. Susequently, Dujuan began to weaken as it approached the coast of China. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, NASDA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC)
Typhoon Ewiniar
Title Typhoon Ewiniar
Description As of July 11, 2006, at least 30 people in China and 5 in Korea had died as a result of flooding and mudslides caused by Typhoon Ewiniar. The storm began as a tropical depression on June 30, 2006, southeast of Palau in the northern West Pacific. Ewiniar tracked generally north-northwestward before turning north to pass east of the Philippines and Taiwan. The storm made landfall in South Korea on July 10. Ewiniar was rated a Category 4 typhoon at its peak, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour) while it was east of the Philippines on July 5. Ewiniar then slowly weakened as it passed by the coast of China before striking the Korean Peninsula as a tropical storm. Rainfall totals are shown here for the period June 29 to July 10, 2006, for the western Pacific region. The highest rainfall totals trace out Ewiniar's path, with maximum amounts around 600 millimeters or more (shown in red). These heavy amounts occurred offshore. The east-west oriented bands of moderate to isolated heavy rainfall (shown in green and red) over the east coast of China and southeast of Japan are associated with another weather system unrelated to Typhoon Ewiniar. That system brought rain to the same area during this period. The rainfall analysis above is from the Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, which uses data from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite to calibrate precipitation estimates. This product was developed by the precipitation research team in the Laboratory for Atmosphere at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Typhoon Ewiniar
Title Typhoon Ewiniar
Description As of July 11, 2006, at least 30 people in China and 5 in Korea had died as a result of flooding and mudslides caused by Typhoon Ewiniar. The storm began as a tropical depression on June 30, 2006, southeast of Palau in the northern West Pacific. Ewiniar tracked generally north-northwestward before turning north to pass east of the Philippines and Taiwan. The storm made landfall in South Korea on July 10. Ewiniar was rated a Category 4 typhoon at its peak, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour) while it was east of the Philippines on July 5. Ewiniar then slowly weakened as it passed by the coast of China before striking the Korean Peninsula as a tropical storm. Rainfall totals are shown here for the period June 29 to July 10, 2006, for the western Pacific region. The highest rainfall totals trace out Ewiniar's path, with maximum amounts around 600 millimeters or more (shown in red). These heavy amounts occurred offshore. The east-west oriented bands of moderate to isolated heavy rainfall (shown in green and red) over the east coast of China and southeast of Japan are associated with another weather system unrelated to Typhoon Ewiniar. That system brought rain to the same area during this period. The rainfall analysis above is from the Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, which uses data from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite to calibrate precipitation estimates. This product was developed by the precipitation research team in the Laboratory for Atmosphere at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Typhoon Kaemi
Title Typhoon Kaemi
Description ) flew over the storm. At the time, Kaemi was over the central Philippine Sea. These images show the horizontal distribution of rain intensity within the storm and provide important clues about Kaemi's structure. In the top image, taken on July 21, TRMM reveals that Kaemi had a well-defined closed eye (center circular region) indicative of the kind of well-developed circulation that is commonly associated with a mature tropical cyclone. The image also shows that the rain field is very asymmetrical, with the bulk of the rain, including essentially all of the intense rain (shown by the darker reds), occurring in the southern half of storm. After the top image was taken on July 21, Kaemi continued to track northwest. Although the storm's center passed well to the north of the main island of Luzon in the northern Philippines, it did bring significant rains to the island. As Kaemi exited the Philippine Sea, it took a direct path over southern Taiwan, crossing over the island on the evening of July 24. By the time it struck, Kaemi had weakened to a Category 1 system. On July 25, Kaemi passed over the narrow Taiwan Straight between Taiwan and China before making landfall that afternoon (local time) near Jinjiang in Fujian Province on China's southeast coast. TRMM captured the lower image at 3:40 p.m. local time (7:40 UTC), just as Kaemi was making landfall on the coast of China. In this image, the center is poorly defined, with no closed eye visible. By this time, Kaemi had weakened to a tropical storm, with sustained winds estimated at just 93 km/hr (58 mph or 90 knots). There was, however, a broad area of light (blue) to moderate (green) rain wrapped around the northern and eastern side of the storm over mainland China. This rain eventually triggered flooding and mudslides in the region. Launched in November of 1997, TRMM was designed to measure rainfall over the global Tropics using a suite of active and passive sensors, including the world's first space-borne precipitation radar. TRMM has also proven to be extremely valuable for monitoring tropical cyclones, especially over remote parts of the open ocean. In these images, rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. NASA images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC)., Following a path similar to recent Tropical Storm Bilis, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13711 ] which triggered extensive inland flooding and landslides and has been blamed for more than 600 deaths in China, Typhoon Kaemi passed over Taiwan before striking the southeast coast of China. Kaemi means "ant" in Korean. The storm started out as a tropical depression on July 18, 2006, several hundred miles south-southeast of Guam, tracked generally to the northwest, and entered the Philippine Sea as a weak tropical storm on July 19. Over the next two days, Kaemi intensified into a Category 2 typhoon in the central Philippine Sea, with sustained winds estimated at 167 kilometers per hour (104 miles per hour or 90 knots) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. [ https://metoc.npmoc.navy.mil//jtwc.html ] While the typhoon was at Category 2 status on July 21, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]
Typhoon Kaemi
Title Typhoon Kaemi
Description ) flew over the storm. At the time, Kaemi was over the central Philippine Sea. These images show the horizontal distribution of rain intensity within the storm and provide important clues about Kaemi's structure. In the top image, taken on July 21, TRMM reveals that Kaemi had a well-defined closed eye (center circular region) indicative of the kind of well-developed circulation that is commonly associated with a mature tropical cyclone. The image also shows that the rain field is very asymmetrical, with the bulk of the rain, including essentially all of the intense rain (shown by the darker reds), occurring in the southern half of storm. After the top image was taken on July 21, Kaemi continued to track northwest. Although the storm's center passed well to the north of the main island of Luzon in the northern Philippines, it did bring significant rains to the island. As Kaemi exited the Philippine Sea, it took a direct path over southern Taiwan, crossing over the island on the evening of July 24. By the time it struck, Kaemi had weakened to a Category 1 system. On July 25, Kaemi passed over the narrow Taiwan Straight between Taiwan and China before making landfall that afternoon (local time) near Jinjiang in Fujian Province on China's southeast coast. TRMM captured the lower image at 3:40 p.m. local time (7:40 UTC), just as Kaemi was making landfall on the coast of China. In this image, the center is poorly defined, with no closed eye visible. By this time, Kaemi had weakened to a tropical storm, with sustained winds estimated at just 93 km/hr (58 mph or 90 knots). There was, however, a broad area of light (blue) to moderate (green) rain wrapped around the northern and eastern side of the storm over mainland China. This rain eventually triggered flooding and mudslides in the region. Launched in November of 1997, TRMM was designed to measure rainfall over the global Tropics using a suite of active and passive sensors, including the world's first space-borne precipitation radar. TRMM has also proven to be extremely valuable for monitoring tropical cyclones, especially over remote parts of the open ocean. In these images, rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, while those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. NASA images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC)., Following a path similar to recent Tropical Storm Bilis, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13711 ] which triggered extensive inland flooding and landslides and has been blamed for more than 600 deaths in China, Typhoon Kaemi passed over Taiwan before striking the southeast coast of China. Kaemi means "ant" in Korean. The storm started out as a tropical depression on July 18, 2006, several hundred miles south-southeast of Guam, tracked generally to the northwest, and entered the Philippine Sea as a weak tropical storm on July 19. Over the next two days, Kaemi intensified into a Category 2 typhoon in the central Philippine Sea, with sustained winds estimated at 167 kilometers per hour (104 miles per hour or 90 knots) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. [ https://metoc.npmoc.navy.mil//jtwc.html ] While the typhoon was at Category 2 status on July 21, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]
Typhoon Longwang
Title Typhoon Longwang
Description Typhoon Longwang, which means "dragon king" in Mandarin, became the third super typhoon this year to hit Taiwan and continue on to make landfall in China. The other two super typhoons of 2005 were Haitang and Talim. After traversing the Philippine Sea, Longwang plowed over Taiwan on October 2, 2005, where winds were recorded up to 230 kilometers per hour (143 mph). The storm left one person missing and one dead in Taiwan. Longwang then continued moving across the Taiwan straight and struck Fujian Province in southeast China. Three people were reported killed, and 59 police cadets were missing after flood waters swept away their buildings. This image of Longwang was captured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite on October 1, 2005, at 20:27 UTC, just as the center of the storm was making landfall on the eastern coast of Taiwan. The western half of the eyewall is already over the coast while the center sits just offshore. A sizeable area of very intense rain (dark red area) is present in the eastern half of the eyewall. At the time, Longwang was still a Category 4 typhoon with sustained winds of 115 knots (132 mph). After crossing Taiwan, the storm would later weaken to a Category 1 typhoon before hitting mainland China. The TRMM satellite has been measuring rainfall over the tropics since its launch in 1997. The TRMM-based, near-real time MPA at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides estimates of rainfall over the global tropics. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and captioned by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Typhoon Longwang
Title Typhoon Longwang
Description Longwang means Dragon King (the God of Rain) in Chinese. Typhoon Longwang was living up to its namesake when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at 2:05 p.m. local time, on October 1, 2005. At that time, Longwang had peak sustained winds of 230 kilometers per hour (145 miles per hour), slightly less than the peak winds two days earlier, a pattern that suggests that Longwang had reached a stable state and was no longer gaining strength. It also has a "closed eye" ("i.e.," the eye of the storm has some cloud cover), another indicator of a storm no longer building additional power. In the days following this image, Longwang cut directly across the middle of Taiwan, and early in the morning on October 2, made a second landfall in mainland China as a severe storm. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005274-1001/Longwang.A2005274.0505 ] from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Typhoon Mindulle
Title Typhoon Mindulle
Description As the northern Philippines island of Luzon recovers from its brush with Typhoon Mindulle, the island nation of Taiwan now bears the brunt of the storm. Mindulle was responsible for 16 fatalities and 17 missing persons in the Philippines mainly from flash floods and is now hitting the east coast of Taiwan with 75 mph winds. Mindulle formed into a tropical depression from a monsoon gyre back on the 23rd of June 2004 just west of the Northern Mariana Islands. Mindulle quickly reached tropical storm strength but only slowly intensified over the next few days before finally becoming a minimal typhoon on the 27th in the Philippine Sea. Next came a period of rapid development as Mindulle's maximum sustained winds increased from 65 knots (75 mph) to 125 knots (144 mph) within a span of just 30 hours, and it's forward speed decreased dramatically as it approached the northern Philippines. Up until this point, Mindulle had been moving mainly due west but now turned north taking it through the Babuyan and Batan islands north of the main island of Luzon. The storm increased its forward speed slowly and began to weaken as it passed through the Bashi Channel headed for Taiwan. Mindulle passed by the Hengchun Peninsula at the southern tip of Taiwan on the evening (local time) of the 30th of June before continuing up along the east coast of Taiwan. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has been fulfilling its mission of monitoring rainfall over the global tropics since its launch back in November of 1997. With its passive and active sensors, TRMM is able to capture unique images of tropical cyclones providing a one of a kind perspective on their structures as seen by this series of images of Mindulle. The first image was taken at 15:39 UTC on 23 June 2004 when Mindulle was still just a tropical storm west of the Northern Mariana Islands with maximum sustained winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This image shows that Mindulle is not very organized yet with no evidence of an eye in the rain field. However, some banding is visible in the moderate rain rates (green areas) and a sizeable area of intense rain is present (dark red areas). The second image was taken at 06:01 UTC on the 28th and shows a mature typhoon with a large, well- defined eye surrounded by a definitive eyewall that contains areas of heavy rain (semicircle with dark red areas). At this time Mindulle was a Category 4 storm with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph) as it was approaching the the the northern Philippines. The next image at this same time shows a vertical cross section, through the center of the storm from the PR looking northeast. It shows the intense rain (black area) in the western eyewall and a broad rain shield of moderate intensity rain (yellow areas) west of the center. Also evident is a bright band (horizontal yellow areas) wherein ice particle begin to melt as they fall through the freezing level. The final image was taken at 4:51 UTC on 1 July 2004. It shows a greatly weakened Mindulle hugging the east coast of Taiwan. The eyewall is gone and the center is surrounded by a large swirl of mostly light rain (blue areas). The heaviest rain rates are part of a large rain band that extends southwest of the center into the northern South China Sea. At this time, the maximum estimated winds were down to 75 knots (86 mph). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Mindulle
Title Typhoon Mindulle
Description As the northern Philippines island of Luzon recovers from its brush with Typhoon Mindulle, the island nation of Taiwan now bears the brunt of the storm. Mindulle was responsible for 16 fatalities and 17 missing persons in the Philippines mainly from flash floods and is now hitting the east coast of Taiwan with 75 mph winds. Mindulle formed into a tropical depression from a monsoon gyre back on the 23rd of June 2004 just west of the Northern Mariana Islands. Mindulle quickly reached tropical storm strength but only slowly intensified over the next few days before finally becoming a minimal typhoon on the 27th in the Philippine Sea. Next came a period of rapid development as Mindulle's maximum sustained winds increased from 65 knots (75 mph) to 125 knots (144 mph) within a span of just 30 hours, and it's forward speed decreased dramatically as it approached the northern Philippines. Up until this point, Mindulle had been moving mainly due west but now turned north taking it through the Babuyan and Batan islands north of the main island of Luzon. The storm increased its forward speed slowly and began to weaken as it passed through the Bashi Channel headed for Taiwan. Mindulle passed by the Hengchun Peninsula at the southern tip of Taiwan on the evening (local time) of the 30th of June before continuing up along the east coast of Taiwan. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has been fulfilling its mission of monitoring rainfall over the global tropics since its launch back in November of 1997. With its passive and active sensors, TRMM is able to capture unique images of tropical cyclones providing a one of a kind perspective on their structures as seen by this series of images of Mindulle. The first image was taken at 15:39 UTC on 23 June 2004 when Mindulle was still just a tropical storm west of the Northern Mariana Islands with maximum sustained winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This image shows that Mindulle is not very organized yet with no evidence of an eye in the rain field. However, some banding is visible in the moderate rain rates (green areas) and a sizeable area of intense rain is present (dark red areas). The second image was taken at 06:01 UTC on the 28th and shows a mature typhoon with a large, well- defined eye surrounded by a definitive eyewall that contains areas of heavy rain (semicircle with dark red areas). At this time Mindulle was a Category 4 storm with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph) as it was approaching the the the northern Philippines. The next image at this same time shows a vertical cross section, through the center of the storm from the PR looking northeast. It shows the intense rain (black area) in the western eyewall and a broad rain shield of moderate intensity rain (yellow areas) west of the center. Also evident is a bright band (horizontal yellow areas) wherein ice particle begin to melt as they fall through the freezing level. The final image was taken at 4:51 UTC on 1 July 2004. It shows a greatly weakened Mindulle hugging the east coast of Taiwan. The eyewall is gone and the center is surrounded by a large swirl of mostly light rain (blue areas). The heaviest rain rates are part of a large rain band that extends southwest of the center into the northern South China Sea. At this time, the maximum estimated winds were down to 75 knots (86 mph). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Mindulle
Title Typhoon Mindulle
Description As the northern Philippines island of Luzon recovers from its brush with Typhoon Mindulle, the island nation of Taiwan now bears the brunt of the storm. Mindulle was responsible for 16 fatalities and 17 missing persons in the Philippines mainly from flash floods and is now hitting the east coast of Taiwan with 75 mph winds. Mindulle formed into a tropical depression from a monsoon gyre back on the 23rd of June 2004 just west of the Northern Mariana Islands. Mindulle quickly reached tropical storm strength but only slowly intensified over the next few days before finally becoming a minimal typhoon on the 27th in the Philippine Sea. Next came a period of rapid development as Mindulle's maximum sustained winds increased from 65 knots (75 mph) to 125 knots (144 mph) within a span of just 30 hours, and it's forward speed decreased dramatically as it approached the northern Philippines. Up until this point, Mindulle had been moving mainly due west but now turned north taking it through the Babuyan and Batan islands north of the main island of Luzon. The storm increased its forward speed slowly and began to weaken as it passed through the Bashi Channel headed for Taiwan. Mindulle passed by the Hengchun Peninsula at the southern tip of Taiwan on the evening (local time) of the 30th of June before continuing up along the east coast of Taiwan. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has been fulfilling its mission of monitoring rainfall over the global tropics since its launch back in November of 1997. With its passive and active sensors, TRMM is able to capture unique images of tropical cyclones providing a one of a kind perspective on their structures as seen by this series of images of Mindulle. The first image was taken at 15:39 UTC on 23 June 2004 when Mindulle was still just a tropical storm west of the Northern Mariana Islands with maximum sustained winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This image shows that Mindulle is not very organized yet with no evidence of an eye in the rain field. However, some banding is visible in the moderate rain rates (green areas) and a sizeable area of intense rain is present (dark red areas). The second image was taken at 06:01 UTC on the 28th and shows a mature typhoon with a large, well- defined eye surrounded by a definitive eyewall that contains areas of heavy rain (semicircle with dark red areas). At this time Mindulle was a Category 4 storm with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph) as it was approaching the the the northern Philippines. The next image at this same time shows a vertical cross section, through the center of the storm from the PR looking northeast. It shows the intense rain (black area) in the western eyewall and a broad rain shield of moderate intensity rain (yellow areas) west of the center. Also evident is a bright band (horizontal yellow areas) wherein ice particle begin to melt as they fall through the freezing level. The final image was taken at 4:51 UTC on 1 July 2004. It shows a greatly weakened Mindulle hugging the east coast of Taiwan. The eyewall is gone and the center is surrounded by a large swirl of mostly light rain (blue areas). The heaviest rain rates are part of a large rain band that extends southwest of the center into the northern South China Sea. At this time, the maximum estimated winds were down to 75 knots (86 mph). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Mindulle
Title Typhoon Mindulle
Description As the northern Philippines island of Luzon recovers from its brush with Typhoon Mindulle, the island nation of Taiwan now bears the brunt of the storm. Mindulle was responsible for 16 fatalities and 17 missing persons in the Philippines mainly from flash floods and is now hitting the east coast of Taiwan with 75 mph winds. Mindulle formed into a tropical depression from a monsoon gyre back on the 23rd of June 2004 just west of the Northern Mariana Islands. Mindulle quickly reached tropical storm strength but only slowly intensified over the next few days before finally becoming a minimal typhoon on the 27th in the Philippine Sea. Next came a period of rapid development as Mindulle's maximum sustained winds increased from 65 knots (75 mph) to 125 knots (144 mph) within a span of just 30 hours, and it's forward speed decreased dramatically as it approached the northern Philippines. Up until this point, Mindulle had been moving mainly due west but now turned north taking it through the Babuyan and Batan islands north of the main island of Luzon. The storm increased its forward speed slowly and began to weaken as it passed through the Bashi Channel headed for Taiwan. Mindulle passed by the Hengchun Peninsula at the southern tip of Taiwan on the evening (local time) of the 30th of June before continuing up along the east coast of Taiwan. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has been fulfilling its mission of monitoring rainfall over the global tropics since its launch back in November of 1997. With its passive and active sensors, TRMM is able to capture unique images of tropical cyclones providing a one of a kind perspective on their structures as seen by this series of images of Mindulle. The first image was taken at 15:39 UTC on 23 June 2004 when Mindulle was still just a tropical storm west of the Northern Mariana Islands with maximum sustained winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This image shows that Mindulle is not very organized yet with no evidence of an eye in the rain field. However, some banding is visible in the moderate rain rates (green areas) and a sizeable area of intense rain is present (dark red areas). The second image was taken at 06:01 UTC on the 28th and shows a mature typhoon with a large, well- defined eye surrounded by a definitive eyewall that contains areas of heavy rain (semicircle with dark red areas). At this time Mindulle was a Category 4 storm with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph) as it was approaching the the the northern Philippines. The next image at this same time shows a vertical cross section, through the center of the storm from the PR looking northeast. It shows the intense rain (black area) in the western eyewall and a broad rain shield of moderate intensity rain (yellow areas) west of the center. Also evident is a bright band (horizontal yellow areas) wherein ice particle begin to melt as they fall through the freezing level. The final image was taken at 4:51 UTC on 1 July 2004. It shows a greatly weakened Mindulle hugging the east coast of Taiwan. The eyewall is gone and the center is surrounded by a large swirl of mostly light rain (blue areas). The heaviest rain rates are part of a large rain band that extends southwest of the center into the northern South China Sea. At this time, the maximum estimated winds were down to 75 knots (86 mph). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Mindulle
Title Typhoon Mindulle
Description As the northern Philippines island of Luzon recovers from its brush with Typhoon Mindulle, the island nation of Taiwan now bears the brunt of the storm. Mindulle was responsible for 16 fatalities and 17 missing persons in the Philippines mainly from flash floods and is now hitting the east coast of Taiwan with 75 mph winds. Mindulle formed into a tropical depression from a monsoon gyre back on the 23rd of June 2004 just west of the Northern Mariana Islands. Mindulle quickly reached tropical storm strength but only slowly intensified over the next few days before finally becoming a minimal typhoon on the 27th in the Philippine Sea. Next came a period of rapid development as Mindulle's maximum sustained winds increased from 65 knots (75 mph) to 125 knots (144 mph) within a span of just 30 hours, and it's forward speed decreased dramatically as it approached the northern Philippines. Up until this point, Mindulle had been moving mainly due west but now turned north taking it through the Babuyan and Batan islands north of the main island of Luzon. The storm increased its forward speed slowly and began to weaken as it passed through the Bashi Channel headed for Taiwan. Mindulle passed by the Hengchun Peninsula at the southern tip of Taiwan on the evening (local time) of the 30th of June before continuing up along the east coast of Taiwan. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has been fulfilling its mission of monitoring rainfall over the global tropics since its launch back in November of 1997. With its passive and active sensors, TRMM is able to capture unique images of tropical cyclones providing a one of a kind perspective on their structures as seen by this series of images of Mindulle. The first image was taken at 15:39 UTC on 23 June 2004 when Mindulle was still just a tropical storm west of the Northern Mariana Islands with maximum sustained winds estimated at 35 knots (40 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first and only precipitation radar in space, and those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This image shows that Mindulle is not very organized yet with no evidence of an eye in the rain field. However, some banding is visible in the moderate rain rates (green areas) and a sizeable area of intense rain is present (dark red areas). The second image was taken at 06:01 UTC on the 28th and shows a mature typhoon with a large, well- defined eye surrounded by a definitive eyewall that contains areas of heavy rain (semicircle with dark red areas). At this time Mindulle was a Category 4 storm with sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph) as it was approaching the the the northern Philippines. The next image at this same time shows a vertical cross section, through the center of the storm from the PR looking northeast. It shows the intense rain (black area) in the western eyewall and a broad rain shield of moderate intensity rain (yellow areas) west of the center. Also evident is a bright band (horizontal yellow areas) wherein ice particle begin to melt as they fall through the freezing level. The final image was taken at 4:51 UTC on 1 July 2004. It shows a greatly weakened Mindulle hugging the east coast of Taiwan. The eyewall is gone and the center is surrounded by a large swirl of mostly light rain (blue areas). The heaviest rain rates are part of a large rain band that extends southwest of the center into the northern South China Sea. At this time, the maximum estimated winds were down to 75 knots (86 mph). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC), NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission.
Typhoon Nock-Ten strikes Tai …
Title Typhoon Nock-Ten strikes Taiwan
Description Typhoon Nock-Ten hammered Taiwan with heavy rains and strong winds on October 25, 2004, killing at least four, according to media reports. Heavy rains drenched northeastern Taiwan, triggering extensive flooding. Though winds had dropped to about 170 kilometers per hour (100 mph) when the storm blew ashore, at its height, Nock-Ten?s maximum sustained winds reached 204 kilometers per hour (127 mph) with stronger gusts. This image of the storm was acquired on October 24, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite a few hours after the storm began to weaken. Nock-Ten, ?bird? in Laotian, is the sixth typhoon to strike Taiwan and the 24th to develop in the western Pacific this year. After moving across northern Taiwan, the storm curved east over the East China Sea and weakened into an extra-tropical depression as it approached Japan?s southern islands on October 26. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Typhoon Rammasun on China Co …
Title Typhoon Rammasun on China Coast
Description Before winding down on July 6, 2002, Typhoon Rammasun reached Category 3 hurricane status, with maximum sustained winds of 110 knots (127 miles per hour). On July 4, 2002, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured this image of the storm off the coast of China and Taiwan (partially cloud covered). The storm veered northward and eventually made landfall over Korea, where it broke up. Please note that the high-resolution scene provided here is 500 meters per pixel. For a copy of the scene at the sensor's fullest resolution, visit the MODIS Rapid Response Image Gallery. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Typhoon Shanshan
Title Typhoon Shanshan
Description Typhoon Shanshan formed on September 10, 2006, in the western Pacific well off the coast of the Philippine Islands. Over the course of the next 36 hours, it grew from a tropical depression (area of low pressure) to a typhoon. As of September 14, it was projected to travel northwest towards China, but to veer off to the northeast well before reaching Taiwan. It was not predicted to come ashore or strike any major urban centers, though it might bring high winds and rain to Vladivostok in Russia on September 19 if predictions held true. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 14, 2006, at 10:25 a.m. local time (02:25 UTC). Shanshan at the time of this image was a well-defined, spiraling swirl of clouds, with a distinct but cloud-filled ("closed") eye. Shanshan had sustained winds of around 140 kilometers per hour (85 miles per hour) at the time this satellite image was acquired, according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team.
Typhoon Sinlaku
Title Typhoon Sinlaku
Description After tearing through the Okinawan island chain and Taiwan late last week, Typhoon Sinlaku slammed into China this weekend, causing as many as 26 deaths and $100 million in destruction. The typhoon can be seen making landfall over China in this true-color image taken on September 7, 2002, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Aqua spacecraft. When the typhoon hit China, it was packing winds of up to 87 miles (144 kilometers) per hour. The typhoon destroyed over a quarter of a million acres of cropland, collapsed tens of thousands of buildings, and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. More than 1,500 people have been killed this year in China as a result of flooding and severe storms. Please note that the high resolution image provided here is 500 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapidfire Image Gallery [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2002250-0907 ] to obtain a copy at the sensor's highest resolution (250 m). Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC
Typhoon Soudelor
Title Typhoon Soudelor
Description *animations:* small movie (972 KB MPEG)large movie [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2003/soudelor.qt ] (2.5 MB QuickTime) After traversing through the western Pacific over the past week, Tropical Cyclone Soudelor (07W) was beginning the end of its life cycle as it passed through the Korean Strait. Soudelor was named a Tropical Storm just west of the central Philippines at 12:00 UTC on the June 13, 2003. In the days following, the storm slowly skirted east of the Philippines where it delivered several inches of rain to the central islands as seen in the TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Once past the Philippines, Soudelor took a more northerly track staying well east of the island of Taiwan and was elevated to typhoon status at 18:00 UTC on the June 16. After briefly reaching a strength of category 4 on the June 18, Soudelor began to weaken as it left the East China Sea and passed through the Korean Strait into the Sea of Japan. TRMM was able to capture Soudelor's the swath of heavy rainfall extending from east of the Philippines all the way into southern Japan where the cyclone interacted with a frontal system. This rainmap shows the total rainfall accumulation for the period June 13-20, 2003. The heaviest rainfall totals were found just off the southern coast of Korea and were a result of Soudelor's interaction with the frontal system. Although parts of southern Japan are shown to have received several inches of rain, fortunately the heaviest amounts remained offshore. NASA's TRMM or Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission features a spaceborne weather radar built by the Japanese space agency NASDA. In operation for five years, TRMM has provided unprecedented views of tropical rain events around the globe. For more information on TRMM, please visit the TRMM website. Image and movie courtesy of Hal Pierce, TRMM Project, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Typhoon Soudelor
Title Typhoon Soudelor
Description *animations:* small movie (972 KB MPEG)large movie [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2003/soudelor.qt ] (2.5 MB QuickTime) After traversing through the western Pacific over the past week, Tropical Cyclone Soudelor (07W) was beginning the end of its life cycle as it passed through the Korean Strait. Soudelor was named a Tropical Storm just west of the central Philippines at 12:00 UTC on the June 13, 2003. In the days following, the storm slowly skirted east of the Philippines where it delivered several inches of rain to the central islands as seen in the TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Once past the Philippines, Soudelor took a more northerly track staying well east of the island of Taiwan and was elevated to typhoon status at 18:00 UTC on the June 16. After briefly reaching a strength of category 4 on the June 18, Soudelor began to weaken as it left the East China Sea and passed through the Korean Strait into the Sea of Japan. TRMM was able to capture Soudelor's the swath of heavy rainfall extending from east of the Philippines all the way into southern Japan where the cyclone interacted with a frontal system. This rainmap shows the total rainfall accumulation for the period June 13-20, 2003. The heaviest rainfall totals were found just off the southern coast of Korea and were a result of Soudelor's interaction with the frontal system. Although parts of southern Japan are shown to have received several inches of rain, fortunately the heaviest amounts remained offshore. NASA's TRMM or Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission features a spaceborne weather radar built by the Japanese space agency NASDA. In operation for five years, TRMM has provided unprecedented views of tropical rain events around the globe. For more information on TRMM, please visit the TRMM website. Image and movie courtesy of Hal Pierce, TRMM Project, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Typhoon Talim
Title Typhoon Talim
Description Typhoon Talim was a building storm in the western Pacific several hundred kilometers south of Japan when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on August 29, 2005. At this time, 1:25 p.m. Tokyo time, it had sustained winds of around 180 kilometers an hour (115 miles per hour) and was heading towards Taiwan at around 15 miles per hour. As of August 30, was being predicted to continue to gather up stronger winds and to strike Taiwan on September 2, and then continue across the Taiwan Strait to make landfall again on mainland China perhaps a day later. The typhoon should reach Category 4 strength, making it another super typhoon, by the time it strikes Taiwan, but should be a weaker Category 1 regular typhoon when it comes ashore on the mainland. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides the image in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005241-0829/Talim.A2005241.0425 ], including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Typhoon Talim
Title Typhoon Talim
Description Typhoon Talim was a powerful super typhoon in the western Pacific when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on August 30, 2005. At this time, 11:00 a.m. Tokyo time, it had sustained winds of around 250 kilometers an hour (155 miles per hour) and was heading towards Taiwan at around 15 miles per hour. It was predicted to continue to build strength and strike Taiwan on September 2, and then to continue across the Taiwan Strait to make landfall again on mainland China perhaps a day later. The typhoon was at Category 4 strength as of August 30, making it another super typhoon. It should be a weaker Category 1 regular typhoon when it comes ashore on the mainland. It is the 13th named storm of the Pacific typhoon season, which has seen a record number of storms, and in particular, super typhoons. The large image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides the image in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005242-0830/Talim.A2005242.0200 ], including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Typhoon Talim
Title Typhoon Talim
Description Taiwan took a direct hit from powerful Typhoon Talim on August 31, 2005. At the time, the storm was a Category 3 typhoon with maximum sustained winds estimated at 200 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The storm cut directly across the island leaving at least 6 people dead. Talim then continued on to mainland China where there were 14 confirmed fatalities and another 15 persons missing. Nine of the fatalities and all the missing persons are a direct result of mudslides. These images of Talim were captured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite as the storm bore down first on Taiwan and then on China. The first image was taken at 12:24 UTC (8:24 p.m. Tapei time) on August 30, 2005, as the storm approached Taiwan. TRMM reveals that Talim had a large inner eye surrounded by a complete inner eyewall, which can be identified by the inner ring of moderate- intensity rain (the inner green ring) as well as an outer concentric eyewall (larger green ring). This double-eyewall structure can occur in mature, intense tropical cyclones. The second image was taken on August 31, just before the storm made landfall over Taiwan when Talim was a Category 4 typhoon with maximum sustained winds estimated at 210 km/hr (130 mph). The storm still displayed a double eyewall, with areas of very heavy rain, shown in red, in the outer ring. The third image shows Talim just after the center made landfall on the coast of mainland China. The image was taken at 1:38 p.m. Taipei time (05:38 UTC) on September 1, 2005. The inner eyewall is completely gone in this image with the storm having been disrupted by its passage over the mountainous terrain of Taiwan. At the time of this image, Talim was a Category 1 typhoon with sustained winds of 130 km/hr (80 mph). Talim quickly lost strength after coming ashore, though it continued to cause flooding and mudslides. Launched in 1997, the TRMM satellite has served as a valuable platform for monitoring tropical cyclones, especially over remote parts of the ocean. The images show the horizontal distribution of rain intensity looking down on the storm. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while those in the outer portion are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
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