In the northwest Pacific Ocean, Typhoon Haiyan was downgraded to a
tropical storm as of October 17, 2001. This Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from October 16
shows Haiyan while it was still a typhoon, covering the Ryukyu Islands,
which run in an arc between Taiwan (left of center) and Japan (upper
right). The storm moved east-northeast, and was predicted to weaken as
it moved out of warmer waters.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC