- NASA Home
- | Missions
- | Hurricanes
- | Archives
- | 2006
Featured Images
Hurricane Season 2006: Ioke (Pacific)
08.23.06
On Wednesday, September 6, Tropical Storm Ioke weakened into a non-tropical low pressure system in the North Pacific, moving toward the northeast near 30 mph. The storm remains quite intense with gusty winds and heavy rains. Ocean waves of up to 25 feet are expected in the Bering Sea over the next two days.
Ioke's remnants are forecast to further weaken, but will likely bring high winds and a prolonged period of rain to much of Southwest Alaska and the Aleutian Islands over the next day.
A Satellite View of Ioke
Click image to enlarge
This photo-like image of Typhoon Ioke was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on September 4, 2006, at 1:20 p.m. local time (03:20 UTC), when the storm had sustained winds around 80 mph. Shortly after this image, winds continued to weaken and the typhoon was reclassified as a tropical storm. Image Credit: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team -- Image Caption: NASA/RSIS, Mike Bettwy
Tropical Storm Ioke Weakening Rapidly
At 11:00 am EDT (1500 UTC) on Tuesday, September 5, Tropical Storm Ioke was located near latitude 37.5 north, 149.1 east longitude, or about 400 miles east of Misawa, Japan, and was moving toward the northeast at 23 knots (26 mph). Maximum sustained winds were near 60 knots (69 mph), but additional weakening was anticipated as the storm traveled over cooler waters. Forecasters expect Ioke to disintegrate into a remnant low within the next 24 hours and the storm is not expected to threaten additional land.
Last week, Wake Island endured Ioke when the storm was a Super Typhoon, but reconnaissance flights over the region indicate the general building infrastructure seems to have withstood Ioke's wind and storm surge, although damage to trees, power lines, and roofs appeared widespread.
An Inside Satellite Look at Ioke's Clouds
Click image to enlarge.
This is an infrared image of Ioke from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite on September 1, 2006, when the storm was still a strong typhoon. This AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud- free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red).
Where is Ioke's Heaviest Rainfall?
Click image to enlarge.
The second image is created from microwave radiation emitted by Earth's atmosphere and received by the instrument. It shows where the heaviest rainfall is taking place (in blue) in the storm. Blue areas outside of the storm where there are either some clouds or no clouds, indicate where the sea surface shines through. Image Credit: NASA/JPL -- Image Caption: NASA/RSIS, Mike Bettwy
CloudSat Watches Typhoon Ioke
Click image to enlarge.
These two images are from two different satellites, giving a top-down and sideway view of Typhoon Ioke in the northwest Pacific Ocean at 0233 UTC (10:33 p.m. EDT) Aug. 31.
The top image is from Japan's Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) to give an idea of how the storm looked from the top. The bottom image is taken from NASA's CloudSat satellite on Aug. 31. The two images match well and indicate the cloud patterns in the storm.
The red and purple areas on the CloudSat image (bottom) indicate large amounts of cloud water. The blue areas along the top of the clouds indicate cloud ice, while the wavy blue lines on the bottom center of the image indicate intense rainfall, peaking around the core of the storm. Image Credit: NASA/JPL -- Caption: NASA/RSIS, Mike Bettwy
An Inside Look of Ioke's Clouds
Click image to enlarge.
This is an infrared image of Typhoon Ioke, from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite on August 29, 2006. This AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud- free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the storm. The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red).
Where is Ioke's Heaviest Rainfall?
Click image to enlarge.
The second image is created from microwave radiation emitted by Earth's atmosphere and received by the instrument. It shows where the heaviest rainfall is taking place (in blue) in the storm. Blue areas outside of the storm where there are either some clouds or no clouds, indicate where the sea surface shines through. Image Credit: NASA/JPL -- Caption: NASA/RSIS, Mike Bettwy
Where is Ioke on Fri. Sep. 1?
At 1500 UTC (11:00 a.m. EDT) the center of Typhoon John was near latitude 21.8 north, longitude 162.3 east or about 285 miles west-northwest of Wake Island in the northwest Pacific. Ioke is moving toward the west-northwest at 16 mph (14 knots).
Wake Island May Have Suffered Considerable Damage
Typhoon Ioke knocked out Wake Island's weather sensors Thursday as it lashed the island with some of the central Pacific's fiercest winds in more than a decade, the National Weather Service said. All residents of the island, including troops, Defense Department civilian employees and military contractors were evacuated from the U.S. territory early in the week.
Forecasters monitoring the 2.5-square-mile island's wind and temperature gauges from Hawaii said the instruments blew out as the storm approached with winds up to 155 mph and gusts up to 190 mph.
The U.S. Air Force plans to send a plane from Hawaii to assess damage from the air, but hasn't announced when the flight will leave.
Ioke is the first Category 5 hurricane to develop in the central Pacific since record keeping began in the early 1960s, and it is the most powerful storm to pass through the region since hurricanes Emilia and Gilma, both in July 1994.
Ioke Eyes Japan
Forecasters say Ioke should take a more northerly turn over the next several days while slowly weakening as it encounters cooler water temperatures and vertical wind shear. By the middle of next week, it is expected to be near the central coast of Japan with winds of 105-115 mph (90-100 knots).
Super Typhoon Ioke Affecting Wake Island in Central Pacific
Click image to enlarge.
Super Typhoon Ioke remains an extremely ferocious storm in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Earlier today it skirted the northern edge of Wake Island, pounding the tiny U.S. Pacific territory with catastrophic winds of up to 185 mph. The island's 200 residents - mostly U.S. Air Force personnel - evacuated to Hawaii earlier in the week. It was the first time the territory was evacuated in nearly 30 years.
As of Aug. 31 at 1500 UTC (11:00 a.m. EDT) Ioke was located near 19.7 north latitude and 166.3 east longitude, about 30 northwest of Wake Island. Ioke is moving toward the west-northwest at 12 knots (14 mph) and satellite data suggests maximum sustained winds are around 135 knots (155 mph) with gusts to 165 knots (190 mph). Ocean wave heights in and near the storm are greater than 50 feet.
Ioke is the strongest typhoon to travel this region of the Pacific in at least 12 years, but it is expected to slowly weaken over the next several days as it continues on a northwesterly path and encounters cooler waters. Maximum wind speeds are expected to drop to 120 mph by early Monday, as it approaches Japan.
The photo-like image above was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on August 31 2006, at 2:05 p.m. local time (02:05 UTC). Super Typhoon Ioke at the time of this image had a well-defined round shape, clear spiral arm structure, and a distinct and only slightly cloud-filled (or “partially closed”) eye. The University of Hawaii’s Tropical Storm information center reported that Super Typhoon Ioke had sustained winds of around 245 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour) at the time this satellite image was acquired. + High resolution image
){kind=link}
Super Typhoon Ioke may not be encountering any landmass capable of disrupting the Category 5 typhoon, but that does not mean there is no land in its way at all. Wake Island is a small atoll island with a small population serving a military and civilian base located on the island. At the time of this image, all residents had been evacuated. The storm system is starting to travel over the atoll and its predicted track will take it almost directly over the island, so the buildings will face the full strength of the strongest winds of the super typhoon. As there are no tall land features on the island, it is quite possible that storm surge from the typhoon will send water cascading over the entire island, submerging it, and only the most sturdy of structures are likely to survive the onslaught of storm surge, surf, and powerful winds, according to the Associated Press. Credit Image: NASA/GSFC Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team -- Caption: NASA/RSIS, Mike Bettwy
Super Typhoon Ioke Still Powerful in Central Pacific
For the fifth consecutive day, Super Typhoon Ioke remains a powerful storm in the Pacific Ocean, a major concern to the shipping community and interests in Wake Island.
As of Aug. 30 at 1500 UTC (11:00 a.m. EDT) Ioke was located near 17.6 north latitude and 169.4 east longitude, about 200 miles east-southeast of Wake Island, a U.S. territory in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Ioke is traveling toward the west-northwest at 7 knots (8 mph) and satellite data suggests maximum sustained winds are around 135 knots (155 mph) with gusts to 165 knots (190 mph), resulting in ocean wave heights greater than 50 feet. Ioke is expected to maintain its present strength over the next 24 hours, before weakening slightly within three days.
The storm's projected path will likely take it very close to Wake Island late Wednesday (Aug. 30) into early Thursday (Aug. 31), bringing fierce winds, torrential rains and a high storm surge capable of producing extensive damage over much of the island. The U.S. military evacuated 200 personnel from Wake Island on Aug. 28 in preparation for the storm - the strongest Central Pacific hurricane in more than decade.
Click image to enlarge.
This image of Ioke was taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on the Terra satellite on Aug. 29, at 23:10 UTC (11:30 a.m. local time). The storm had a well-defined round shape, clear spiral arm structure, and a distinct and only slightly cloud-filled (or "partially closed") eye. Image Credit: NASA/Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory/MODIS Rapid Response Team Caption: NASA/RSIS, Mike Bettwy
Hurricane Ioke Gets a Name Change
Hurricane Ioke was born in the central Pacific Ocean, but has just crossed the International Dateline, and is now dubbed Typhoon Ioke. Any hurricanes on the western side of the International Dateline, which dissects the Pacific Ocean, are named typhoons instead of hurricanes (it's just a name change).
As of Aug. 29 at 1800 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT)Super Typhoon Ioke was located near 16.4 north latitude and 171.9 west longitude, north of the islands of Majuro and Kwajalein in the Central Pacific Ocean. Ioke has been moving toward the west-northwest at 7 knots (8 mph). Iokes' maximum sustained winds were around 140 knots with gusts to 170 knots.
This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on the Aqua satellite on August 28 2006, at 1:30 p.m. local time (01:30 UTC). Typhoon Ioke at the time of this image had a well-defined round shape, clear spiral arm structure, and a distinct but cloud-filled (or “closed”) eye. The University of Hawaii’s Tropical Storm information center reported that Typhoon Ioke had sustained winds of around 245 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour) at the time this satellite image was acquired. Image Credit: NASA/Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory/MODIS Rapid Response team. Caption: NASA/Rob Gutro
Super Typhoon Ioke in the Central Pacific
On Aug. 28 at 9:00 a.m. EDT (1200Z) Super Typhoon Ioke was located near 16.2 north and 175.8 east, moving west at 9 knots (10 mph). That places Super Typhoon Ioke approximately 560 nautical miles east-southeast of Wake Island in the central Pacific Ocean. Ioke's maximum sustained winds were near 130 knots (150 mph) with gusts to 160 knot (184 mph) making Ioke a powerful category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
CloudSat Watches Super Typhoon Ioke
These two images are from two different satellites, giving a top-down and sideways view of Super Typhoon Ioke on Aug. 25, 2006. The top image is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) to give an idea of how the storm looked from the top. This data was processed by NASA's GOES Project at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The bottom image is from NASA's CloudSat satellite on Aug. 25. Click image to enlarge.
The red and purple areas on the CloudSat image (bottom) indicate large amounts of cloud water. The blue areas along the top of the clouds indicate cloud ice, while the wavy blue lines on the bottom center of the image indicate intense rainfall. Notice that the solid line along the bottom of the panel, which is the ground, disappears in these areas of intense precipitation. It is likely that in the area the precipitation rate exceeds 30mm/hr (1.18 inches/hour) based on previous studies.
Powerful Hurricane Ioke in the Central Pacific
On Aug. 25, 2006 at 06:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. EDT), Hurricane Ioke was churning in the open waters of the Central Pacific. Ioke was located bear 19.1 North latitude ad 174.2 West longitude. Ioke was moving west-northwest near 6 knots (7 mph), and had maximum sustained winds of 140 knots (161 mph) with gusts to 170 knots (195 mph). Ships in the area should take note of this powerful Category 5 hurricane. Updates can be obtained from: + Joint Typhoon Warning Center
Hurricane Ioke in the Central Pacific
This image of Hurricane Ioke shows the powerful Category 4 hurricane as it was passing well south of the Hawaiian Islands in the Central Pacific. The image was taken by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (or TRMM) satellite at 20:45 UTC (9:45 am HST) on 21 August 2006 and shows the horizontal pattern of rain intensity within Ioke. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM PR, and those in the outer swath come from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). A well-defined eye (dark center) marks the center of Ioke. This is surrounded by an area of very intense rain on the western side that is part of the eyewall (dark red arc). Rain bands spiral inwards towards the center (large blue arcs) and transition into an area of moderate rain (green area) as they approach the eyewall. These features are indicative of a mature, intense hurricane. At the time of this image, Ioke was estimated to have sustained winds of 115 knots (132 mph) by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
The second image shows a 3D perspective of Ioke using TRMM PR data collected at the same time as the previous image. The view is looking west. The eyewall is readily apparent in this image as a tight ring of deep towers (red tops) that reach up to around 12.5 km. The convection associated with these towers (and with the intense rain in the previous image) is fueling Ioke's circulation by releasing large amounts of heat into the storms core. Ioke is expected to continue moving to the northwest and slowly weaken with the center passing near to Johnston Island.
TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).