NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite passed over Tropical Storm “Quiel” (international name Nakri) and captured a visible image of the storm in the South China Sea. Although the bulk of the storm was not over any land area, Quielsouthwestern quadrant was over the island of Kalayaan, Palawan, said Phys.org.
Visible imagery from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite on Nov. 7 showed Quiel has maintained strength. Satellite imagery showed a central dense overcast covered its low-level center of circulation. A central dense overcast is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or irregular in shape.
Phys.org said that on November 7 at 10 a.m. EST (1500 UTC), Quiel had maximum sustained winds near 60 knots (69 mph/111 kph). Quiel is expected to peak at 70 knots (81 mph/130 kph) on November 8 and 9 before weakening.
Quiel was located near latitude 3.5 degrees north and longitude 117.2 degrees east, about 543 nautical miles east-southeast of Da Nang, Vietnam. Quiel is moving to the north and is then expected to curve toward the west. Quiel is forecast to cross the South China Sea, and head towards Vietnam.
Vietnam’s National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting issued Tropical Storm Warning number 6 for the country as Quiel approaches.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects Quiel to slowly track westward and make landfall in Vietnam in three days on November 12, to the south of Danang.
Typhoons and hurricanes are the most powerful weather event on Earth. NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.
