NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible picture of Typhoon Hagupit in the western North Pacific Ocean on December 2, when several warnings were in effect for islands in Micronesia.
Micronesia warnings include a Typhoon Warning for Woleai, Yap and Ngulu in Yap state, a Typhoon Watch posted for Faraulep, Fais and Ulithi in Yap state, and a Tropical Storm Warning for Faraulep in Yap state.
When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Hagupit on Dec. 2 at 03:45 UTC (Dec. 1 at 10:45 p.m. EST) the MODIS instrument took a visible picture of the storm that showed it had become much better organized over the previous day. Powerful, high thunderstorms circled the center while bands of thunderstorms spiral in from the west, south and north.
At 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EST) on Dec. 2, Hagupit had become a Category One typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale with maximum sustained winds near 70 knots (80.5 mph/129.6 kph). Hagupit was centered near 6.2 north longitude and 142.7 east latitude, about 463 nautical miles (532.8 miles/857.5 km) south of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. It was moving to the west at 17 knots (19.5 mph/31.8 kph) and generating high seas with waves up to 25 feet (7.6 meters).
Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast Hagupit to continue moving west-northwest through Micronesia and to intensify to 130 knots before weakening. The forecast track takes the center of Hagupit between Palau and Yap on Dec. 3 and toward the Philippines thereafter.
Weakening is not expected to begin until Dec. 6 so Hagupit is expected to maintain typhoon status through December 7.
Dec. 01, 2014 -NASA's Terra Satellite Catches Fast-Developing Tropical Storm Hagupit
Tropical Storm Hagupit was just a low pressure area on Nov. 30, but warm waters and good atmospheric conditions allowed the storm to develop rapidly. By Dec. 1 the low pressure area strengthened into a tropical storm when NASA's Terra satellite passed overhead.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Radiometer known as the MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Storm Hagupit in the western Pacific Ocean on Dec. 1 at 00:05 UTC (7:05 p.m. EST, Nov. 30). The picture showed a concentration of strong thunderstorms around the center of circulation and fragmented bands of thunderstorms spiraling into the center from the western quadrant.
Hagupit developed from low pressure area System 95W. On Nov. 30, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) was monitoring System 95W when it was a couple of hundred miles south of the island of Chuuk. Chuuk is an island and one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, located in the western North Pacific Ocean.
By Dec. 1 at 0900 UTC (4 a.m. EST), the low pressure area had been designated as a tropical depression and was renamed Tropical Depression 22W. Six hours later, the storm had quickly intensified into Tropical Storm Hagupit as maximum sustained winds strengthened near 40 knots (46 mph/73 kph). At that time Hagupit was centered about 140 nautical miles south-southwest of Chuuk and was moving toward the west-northwest at 15 knots (17.2 mph/27.7 kph).
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that animated infrared satellite imagery on Dec. 1 confirmed the low-level circulation center was consolidating and fragmented bands of thunderstorms were wrapping into the low-level center. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared data on the storm on Dec. 1 at 02:59 UTC (Nov. 30 at 9:59 p.m. EST). The AIRS data showed strong thunderstorms with cloud top temperatures exceeding -63F/-53C around the center, which indicated the storms were high in the troposphere and capable of generating heavy rainfall.
The forecast from JTWC calls for slow intensification of the tropical storm over the next day. Thereafter, the storm is expected to intensify rapidly because of improved upper-level atmospheric conditions and warm sea surface temperatures. The JTWC is forecasting Hagupit as a typhoon as its center passes just to the north of the island of Yap on Dec. 3 while continuing to move in a west-northwesterly direction.
There are several warnings and watches now in effect for Tropical Storm Hagupit. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Satawal in Yap state. A typhoon watch is in effect in Faraulep, Woleai, Fais and Ulithi in Yap state, and a tropical storm watch is in force in Puluwat in Chuuk state.
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