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Taiwan Braces for Direct Hit by Powerful Typhoon Soudelor – Satellite Images

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Taiwan is bracing for a direct hit by powerful Typhoon Soudelor, which earlier this week earned the title of earth’s strongest storm of 2015.

Our friends over at Ocean Weather Services tell us that today at 15Z Typhoon Soudelor was centered about 183 nautical miles southeast of Taipei, Taiwan and was moving WNW at 10 knots, with max winds of about 105 knots and significant wave heights up to 38 feet.

Soudelor is expected make landfall and cross central Taiwan later today before making a second landfall in eastern China on Saturday.

The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Typhoon Soudelor on Aug. 7, 2015, at 4:40 UTC (12:40 a.m. EDT) as it was approaching Taiwan. Credits: NASA Goddard's MODIS Rapid Response Team
The MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite flew over Typhoon Soudelor on Aug. 7, 2015, at 4:40 UTC (12:40 a.m. EDT) as it was approaching Taiwan.
Credits: NASA Goddard’s MODIS Rapid Response Team

 

IR Satellite image by NOAA show's location of Typhoon
IR Satellite image by NOAA show’s location of Typhoon Soudelor as it approaches Taiwan, August 7, 2015. 

 

Projected storm track
Projected storm track

 

On August 6 at 0006 UTC, GPM saw Typhoon Soudelor's heaviest rain a rate of close to 70 mm (2.4 inches) per hour in a strong thunderstorm band southwest of the center. Credits: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce
On August 6 at 0006 UTC, GPM saw Typhoon Soudelor’s heaviest rain a rate of close to 70 mm (2.4 inches) per hour in a strong thunderstorm band southwest of the center. Credits: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce

 

On Aug. 4, 2015, at 4:10 UTC (12:10 a.m. EDT) the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this visible-light image of Super typhoon Soudelor as it reached Category 5 status on the on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale Credits: NASA Goddard's MODIS Rapid Response Team
On Aug. 4, 2015, at 4:10 UTC (12:10 a.m. EDT) the MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this visible-light image of Super typhoon Soudelor as it reached Category 5 status on the on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale Credits: NASA Goddard’s MODIS Rapid Response Team