Typhoon Nida’s Clouds from Two Angles

The tropical cyclones, and the Aqua and CloudSat satellites captured a top-down look at temperatures in Typhoon Nida’s clouds, and an image of what they look like from the side.

On Monday, November 30, by 4 a.m. ET, Nida had lost her “Super Typhoon” status as a result of wind shear, and is now a typhoon. Nida’s maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph (100 knots). The storm was over open ocean in the Western Pacific, about 330 miles south-southwest of the island of Iwo To (formerly Iwo Jima), near 19.6 North and 139.1 East. It was crawling to the west-northwest near 3 mph (2 knots), so the forecast track has become more difficult to predict.

Tropical storm force winds extend 150 miles from the center, so the storm is about 300 miles in diameter. Typhoon-force winds extend out to 55 miles from the center. Nida is kicking up 35-foot high waves in the open ocean.

A tropical storm has a column of warm air near its center. The warmer this column becomes, the more the pressure at the surface falls. The falling pressure, in turn, draws more air into the storm. As more air is pulled into the storm, the winds blow harder.

The path of a hurricane

Hurricanes last an average of 3 to 14 days. A long-lived storm may wander 3,000 to 4,000 miles (4,800 to 6,400 kilometers), typically moving over the sea at speeds of 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 kilometers) per hour.

Hurricane damage

Hurricane damage results from wind and water. Hurricane winds can uproot trees and tear the roofs off houses. The fierce winds also create danger from flying debris. Heavy rains may cause flooding and mudslides.