Typhoon Fengshen (12W), Pacific Ocean

Super Typhoon Fengshen, captured in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from July 16, 2002, is the fifth major storm to churn through the western Pacific in the last two weeks. According to news reports, typhoons in the last two weeks have killed about 100 people in Micronesia, the Phillipines, China, and the Korean peninsula. The previous typhoons in the region were Rammasun, Chata’an, Nakri, and Halong.

Fengshen formed as a tropical depression on the fourteenth near the Marshall Islands and has reached Category 4 status with maximum winds of 135 knots (155 mph). The typhoon’s eye is a symmetrical 15 nautical miles (nm), and 34-knot winds occur as far as 95 nautical miles from the eye. The typhoon is causing wave heights of up to 38 feet. The typhoon is currently moving west, and is expected to be upgraded to Category 5 status within the next one to two days.

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Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published July 18, 2002
Data acquired July 16 - 16, 2002

Source:

Terra > MODIS

Topic:

Atmosphere > Atmospheric Phenomena > Typhoons

Collection:

MODIS Rapid Response