NASA Satellite Sees a Somewhat Lopsided Typhoon Halong

On Aug. 5 at 02:15 UTC, the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this visible image of Typhoon Halong in the western Pacific Ocean. Image Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team

When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Typhoon Halong on Aug. 4 at 12:47 a.m. EDT, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard provided infrared data on the cloud top temperatures of Typhoon Halong.

AIRS data showed powerful thunderstorms with the highest, coldest cloud tops circled the center of the storm and were in two thick bands in the southern and eastern quadrants of the storm. Cloud top temperatures exceeded -63F/-52C indicating they were nearing the top of the troposphere.

NASA research has shown that cloud top temperatures that cold, from storms that high, have the potential to produce heavy rainfall.

The other thing that the infrared imagery showed was a degradation of strong convection and thunderstorm development in the northern half of the storm. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that development is being inhibited because of subsidence, that is, the sinking of air (from above).

In order for thunderstorms to form, air needs to rise and condense into clouds. When air is sinking from overhead, it prevents cloud formation from happening.

On Aug. 5 at 02:15 UTC, the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible image of Typhoon Halong in the western Pacific Ocean that showed the strongest bands of thunderstorms continued to be in the southern and eastern quadrants of the storm.

At 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) Halong's center was located near 21.4 north latitude and 130.1 east longitude, about 351 nautical miles (403.9 miles/ 650.1 km) south-southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. Maximum sustained winds were near 85 knots (97.8 mph/157.4 kph).

Halong continues to generate extremely rough seas with maximum significant wave heights at 35 feet (10.6 meters).

JTWC forecasters expect Halong to continue moving north-northeast over the next day or two before taking a more northerly track toward mainland Japan.

Text credit:  Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Media Contact

Rob Gutro Eurek Alert!

All latest news from the category: Earth Sciences

Earth Sciences (also referred to as Geosciences), which deals with basic issues surrounding our planet, plays a vital role in the area of energy and raw materials supply.

Earth Sciences comprises subjects such as geology, geography, geological informatics, paleontology, mineralogy, petrography, crystallography, geophysics, geodesy, glaciology, cartography, photogrammetry, meteorology and seismology, early-warning systems, earthquake research and polar research.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors