Typhoon Neoguri was nearing its peak strength on April 17, 2008, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image at 1:30 p.m. local time (05:50 UTC). The first typhoon of the 2008 season in the western Pacific, Neoguri was a relatively weak Category 2 storm. Despite its small size, it was well formed with distinct bands of clouds circling a clear eye. A few hours after this image was taken, Neoguri had winds estimated at 160 kilometers per hour (98 miles per hour or 85 knots) with gusts to 195 km/hr (120 mph or 105 knots). The storm was forecast to weaken as it moved over the South China Sea to eastern Hainan and mainland China. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center predicted that the storm would come ashore over southern China on April 19.
The large image is at MODIS’ maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response System.
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NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Holli Riebeek.
