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All Weather News

NASA Sees Typhoon Megi Slam Taiwan – Thousands Evacuated

27 Sep 2016, 12:24 pm

Typhoon Megi made landfall in eastern Taiwan early on Sept. 27 as NASA’s Aqua satellite passed overhead.

At 1:25 a.m., EDT (0525 UTC) on Sept. 27, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Typhoon Megi. At the time, its cloud-filled 30 nautical-mile wide eye had begun to make landfall in northeastern Taiwan. Thick bands of powerful thunderstorms wrapped around the eye and extended out from the center. The western quadrant of Megi extended into the Taiwan Strait, while the western quadrant was over the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.

(Image: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team)
(Image: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team)

Megi created power outages and dropped heavy rainfall. Up to 38 inches (1,000 millimeters) of rain were reported in Yilan County, located on the eastern coast of Taiwan and about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Taipei.

By 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) Typhoon Megi’s center was located just 51 nautical miles south-southwest of Taipei, Taiwan near 24.3 degrees north latitude and 121.2 degrees east longitude. Megi’s maximum sustained winds were near 132.3 mph (115 knots/ 213 kph).

Megi was moving to the northwest at 13.8 mph (12 knots/22.2 kph) and is expected to make a final landfall in mainland China later in the day, where it will dissipate north of Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Observatory has posted a typhoon warning as Megi approached its second landfall.

Rob Gutro – NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Images from the ground:

 

 

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