NASA Satellite Tracking Typhoon Lupit on a March Toward the Northern PhilippinesOctober 19, 2009Three instruments on NASA's Aqua satellite captured views of Typhoon Lupit on its western track toward the Philippines and are helping forecasters get an idea of its strength and behavior. Lupit strengthened quickly in 24 hours from a tropical depression to a typhoon, between October 15 and 16. From 12:41a.m. to 12:45 a.m. EDT (12:45 p.m. Asia/Manila Time) on October 16, NASA's Aqua satellite was capturing important data on Typhoon Lupit, so that forecasters in the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (who forecasts tropical cyclones in the Western Pacific) could make a forecast. In the Philippines, meteorologists are referring to the storm by the name "Ramil." Aqua's Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) instrument captured visible, infrared and microwave images of Typhoon Lupit. Infrared imagery measures temperatures and not only can it see cold, high cloud tops in tropical cyclones, but also the warm ocean waters that power the cyclones (if the sea surface temperatures are over 80F(26.6 C)). Cold cloud top temperatures provide clues about the power of the thunderstorms in a tropical cyclone. The colder the clouds are, the higher they are, and the more powerful the thunderstorms are that make up the cyclone. Lupit's cloud temperatures were colder than minus 63 Fahrenheit (-52.78 C), indicating very cold, high, strong thunderstorms within. The ocean waters beneath Typhoon Lupit are over 80F (26.6 C), the threshold to maintain tropical cyclones, so they're helping to strengthen the storm. AIRS data is also coupled with data from AMSU create microwave images of storms. The AMSU image uses the radiances of the 89 GHz channel, and the cold areas in those images indicate where there is precipitation or ice in the cloud tops. By using both the infrared and microwave satellite imagery, forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) were able to see inside the storm. The JTWC discussion on October 16 said "Typhoon Lupit has developed an impressive convective structure evident in a microwave image, [from 4:59 a.m. EDT] as well as in recent animated infrared imagery which shows a tightly wrapped system with a banding eye. Lupit's intensification to typhoon strength has been enabled by excellent poleward outflow into the mid-latitude westerlies." At 11 a.m. EDT (11 p.m. Asia/Manila Time) on October 16, Typhoon Lupit's maximum sustained winds were near 74 mph. Lupit's center was 400 nautical miles (643 kilometers) north of Palau, near 14.4 North latitude and 133.8 East longitude. Lupit was moving west at 20 mph (32 km/hr) and generating 17-foot-high waves. Over the weekend, Typhoon Lupit is expected to continue moving generally in a west-northwest direction. The northern Philippines will likely feel the first effects of Lupit by 8:00 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC, or 8 p.m. Asia/Manila Time) on October 20. Storm-weary residents in Luzon, the Philippines should make preparations over the weekend. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center |
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| Related Typhoon Current Events and Typhoon News Articles Cyclone Phyan raining on Tibet after breaking a record in India Cyclone Phyan broke a 43 year record when it made landfall north of the city of Mumbai, India during the evening hours on November 11. NASA's Aqua satellite captured Phyan's landfall with one instrument, and a day later, another of Aqua's instruments show the storm's remnants raining Tibet as Phyan continues to dissipate. NASA sees high thunderstorms in newly formed Tropical Cyclone 4A near India Tropical Cyclone 4A formed yesterday, November 10 off the western coast of India in the Arabian Sea, and NASA's infrared imagery captured some high, powerful thunderstorms developing in the storm's center. Typhoon Mirinae is already scaring Philippine residents before Halloween Another typhoon in the northern Philippines really is something to be scared about, and Mirinae is expected to make landfall there in the mid-morning hours on Halloween, October 31. Mirinae intensifying while moving away from the northern Marianas Typhoon Mirinae is moving west and away from the Northern Marianas Islands on a track to a landfall in the Philippines by the weekend. As Mirinae has moved west, NASA's infrared and microwave satellite imagery have seen high, strong thunderstorm development, and a developing eye. Microwave satellite imagery shows an eye developing in Mirinae Microwave satellite imagery has revealed that Tropical Storm Mirinae is strengthening enough to develop an eye, and that's what it's doing. Mirinae was formerly Tropical Depression 23W, but became a tropical storm and received its name. Tropical Storm Nepartak becoming extra-tropical at sea Tropical Storm Nepartak is now speeding in a northeasterly direction in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, where it is becoming extra-tropical and developing frontal qualities. NASA's TRMM satellite captures Typhoon Melor as it reaches Japan Melor began as a tropical depression back on the 29th of September 2009 about 1000 miles (~1600 km) east-southeast of Guam in the Northern Mariana Islands. Typhoon Melor and Tropical Storm Parma mean double trouble in the western Pacific There's double-trouble in the Western Pacific with one typhoon and one tropical storm bringing soaking rains, dangerous surf and gusty winds to two different locations. Typhoon Melor is affecting the east coast of Japan and watches and warnings are up today. Further south, Tropical Storm Parma continues to rain on Luzon in the northern Philippines. 2 NASA satellites capture monster Super Typhoon Melor NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites flew over Super Typhoon Melor early today, October 5 and captured some impressive images of the storm's clouds on a track toward Japan. The Western Pacific Ocean has the edge on super typhoons, and Melor's maximum sustained winds near 161 mph are more proof. NASA's Aqua Satellite sees Tropical Storm Parma lingering in the Luzon Strait Two instruments on NASA's Aqua satellite captured views of Tropical Storm Parma early today, October 5, while it was almost stationary in the Luzon Strait and it appears that it will sit there for several days. More Typhoon Current Events and Typhoon News Articles |
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