Tropical Depression 14W gets absorbed by system 92W

Tropical Depression 14W was absorbed by another nearby tropical low pressure system in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean as NASA’s Aqua satellite passed overhead.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued the final bulletin on Tropical Depression 14W on Aug. 24 at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) when it was about 349 nautical miles east of Iwo To Island, Japan. At that time it had maximum sustained winds only near 23 mph (20 knots/37 kph) and was moving to the north-northeast at 33.3 mph (29 knots/53.7 kph).

By Aug. 25, System 92W had absorbed the energy from 14W, and 14W was no more.

At 2 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) System 92W was located near 28.4 degrees north latitude and 146.7 degrees east longitude, approximately 350 nautical miles northeast of Iwo To.

The MODIS or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument that flies aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a visible image of System 92W on Aug. 25 at 03:05 UTC (Aug. 24 at 11:05 p.m. EDT). It showed that System 92W resembled more of a frontal system than a circulation, as clouds were east of the center. There was no trace of the circulation of former Tropical Depression 14W as the clouds and moisture had been absorbed into the new low pressure area.

That low pressure area had a fully exposed low-level circulation center with strong convection (rising air that condenses and forms the thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone) and fragmented bands of thunderstorms east of the elongated low-level center.

The JTWC noted that System 92W (and the absorbed energy of former Tropical Depression 14W) are in an area with moderate vertical winds shear which will inhibit development.

JWTC’s discussion noted that “Global [computer] models do not have this system developing within the next 24 hours as it tracks northwestward and due to the deteriorated environment, the potential for the development of a significant tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours is downgraded to low.”