NASA sees Tropical Storm Fung-Wong move through East China Sea

Tropical Storm Fung-Wong weakened over the weekend of Sept. 20-21 as it moved over Taiwan and approached Shanghai, China.

NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image of Tropical Storm Fung-Wong when it was approaching Taiwan on Sept. 20 at 1:35 a.m. EDT.

On Sunday, Sept. 21, Tropical Storm Fung-Wong was over Taiwan. It was centered at 26.0 north latitude and 122.0 east longitude, just 60 miles north-northeast of Taipei, Taiwan and moving to the north. Maximum sustained winds were near 50 knots (57 knots/92.6 kph).

NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of Tropical Storm Fung-Wong approaching Taiwan on Sept. 20 at 1:35 a.m. EDT.

(Photo Credit: : NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)

By Monday, Sept. 22, Fung-Wong's center was approaching the China coast, south of Shanghai, but is curving away from land and headed toward South Korea. At 10 a.m. EDT, Maximum sustained winds weakened to 40 knots (46 mph/74 kph). Fung-Wong was centered near 29.6 east latitude and 122.4 east longitude, about 135 nautical miles south-southeast of Shanghai.

Infrared satellite imagery on Sept. 22 shows that the storm is being affected by westerly vertical wind shear as the bulk of showers and thunderstorms are being pushed northeast of the center. Vertical wind shear, when strong enough can weaken a storm's circulation and the overall storm and that's what is happening with Fung-Wong.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) expects Fung-Wong to continue curving to the east-northeast and grazing southern South Korea. Over the next day or two, Fung-Wong is expected to become extra-tropical, that is, its core will go from warm to cold, like a regular mid-latitude low pressure system. As it transitions, JTWC expects vertical wind shear to increase in the next couple of days and continue to weaken it. By Sept. 24 or 25, that wind shear is expected to dissipate Fung-Wong.

Source: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center