After gaining momentum in the East China Sea, Typhoon Chaba headed north between the Japanese mainland and South Korea in early October 2016. Busan and Gyeongnam provinces in South Korea expect heavy rains that could cause flooding and landslides.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image of Chaba at 11:20 a.m. local time (02:20 Universal Time) on October 4.
Chaba intensified into a super typhoon on October 3. Maximum wave heights reached 36 feet (10 meters) late on the following day, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Many offices and schools in the southern Japanese islands closed as the storm approached the area. Local governments of Naha, Urasoe, and Kumejima advised residents to evacuate, The Japan Times reported.
The storm is expected to move along the western and northern Japanese coastline before it weakens and makes landfall in the northern part of Japan’s mainland.
References & Resources
- AccuWeather (2016, October 2) Super Typhoon Chaba to threaten Japan, South Korea this week. Accessed October 4, 2016.
- NASA Earth Observatory (2016, September 16) Study: Typhoons in the Northwestern Pacific are Getting Stronger.
- The Japan Times (2016, October 3) Powerful typhoon bearing down on Okinawa. Accessed October 4, 2016.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Pola Lem.
