April 2, 2015 - Tropical Storm Maysak (04W) in the Pacific Ocean

Tropical Storm Maysak (04W) in the Pacific Ocean

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of strengthening Tropical Storm Maysak on March 28, 2015 as it spun in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

Maysak started out as Tropical Depression 04W when it formed near Pohnpei on March 27. The depression began moving west-northwest through the Federated States of Micronesia, and began strengthening. On March 28, Maysak's winds had strengthened 75 mph (120.4 km/h), earning it a classification as a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. By March 29, Typhoon Maysak's winds had increased to about 98 mph (157 km/h).

By March 31, Super Typhoon Maysak’s winds were roaring at 161 mph (259 km/h) as the storm, now at Category 5 strength, moved north-northwest through Yap State in Micronesia. At 0900 UTC (5:00 a.m. EDT) that same day, hurricane-force winds extended 46 miles (76 km) from the center, and tropical storm force winds extended 115 miles (185 km) from the center. The clear eye of the storm was reported to be about 17 mi (27.5 km) wide. Maysak was centered near 10.0 north latitude and 141.3 east longitude, about 56 miles (90.5 km) east-northeast of Fais, and was generating 40-foot (12.9 meter) high seas. At that time, the storm was forecast to continue to strengthen as it headed towards the Philippines.

Fortunately, by April 1, Maysak defied the forecast and instead of strengthening, began to weaken. At 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) that day Super Typhoon Maysak was centered near 11.6 north latitude and 135.6 east longitude, or about 223 miles (359.3 km) northwest of Yap. Maximum sustained winds had dropped to about 150 mph (241 km/h) with higher gusts, which placed it as a Category 4 storm. The super typhoon was moving to the west-northwest at 11.5 mph (18.5 km/h) and generating 44-foot-high seas (13.4 meters).

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) noted that Maysak appears to be "weakening slightly, as can be seen by the increase in dry air entrainment (moving into the system) seen in the water vapor and total perceptible water loops (animated imagery)."

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 3/28/2015
Resolutions: 1km (1002.8 KB), 500m (3.4 MB), 250m (7.9 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC