Satellites spying on Typhoon Vamco have obtained data confirming that the large storm has a huge eye, about 45 miles in diameter. Like its cousin Hurricane Bill, Vamco is a very stubborn storm system that continues to linger.
NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Typhoon Vamco early today, Monday, August 24, and infrared imagery from Aqua's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument clearly showed Vamco's 45-mile in diameter eye. Around the huge eye, AIRS showed Vamco's high thunderstorm cloud temperatures were colder than minus 63 Fahrenheit. That's an indication that the storm is still strong, and it is still a category one typhoon.
Also on NASA's Aqua satellite, the Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument captured a stunning look at Typhoon Vamco's clouds at 0255 UTC (August 23 at 10:55 p.m. EDT).
Aqua's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured Vamco's frigid cloud temperatures at the same time. The image revealed Vamco's huge eye 45 miles in diameter, and indicated Vamco's high thunderstorm cloud temperatures were colder than minus 63 Fahrenheit.
(Photo Credit: NASA/JPL, Ed Olsen)
On August 24, Vamco was 990 miles northwest of Wake Island, near 32.1 north and 155.0 east. It was moving north near 12 mph and had sustained winds near 85 knots (97 mph) creating 25 foot-high waves in the open ocean. Typhoon Vamco is maintaining strength and will start to weaken later as upper-level winds start to batter the storm.
Vamco is currently in the Northern West Pacific Ocean and will begin changing to an extra-tropical storm tomorrow while moving into the North Central Pacific Ocean. The extreme west Aleutian Islands will see Vamco as a non-tropical low by Wednesday.
The Aleutian Islands are a chain of 300 small volcanic islands in the Northern Pacific Ocean that extend about 1,200 miles west from the Alaska Peninsula toward the Kamchatka Peninsula. They are the westernmost part of the United States.
Source: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center