View From Space: Tropical Storm Halola Has Become a Typhoon Again

When NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over Halola on July 21, 2015, at 03:55 UTC, the storm had developed an eye and regained typhoon status. Credits: NASA Goddard’s MODIS Rapid Response Team

The tropical cyclone that developed in the North Central Pacific Ocean and tracked into the Western Pacific Ocean is now on its second go-round as a typhoon. NASA’s Aqua satellite flew over Typhoon Halola in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and saw that the storm had again developed an eye.

Halola was at typhoon status on July 14 when Aqua had passed over the storm before. Now, on July 21, Halola regained typhoon status as Aqua again flew overhead.

When NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over Halola on July 21 at 03:55 UTC (11:55 p.m. EDT/July 20) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument gathered visible-light data on the storm. The MODIS image showed the Halola had again developed a 5 nautical mile (5.7 miles/9.2 km) wide eye.

At 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT), Halola’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 75 knots (86 mph/138.9 kph). It was centered near 23.1 North latitude and 141.2 East longitude, about 116 nautical miles south of Iwo To island, Japan. Halola has tracked west-northwestward at 11 knots (12.6 mph/20.3 kph).

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) expects Halola to peak at 90 knots in the next two days and then begin weakening as it approaches Japan. For the latest watches and warnings from the Japan Meteorological Agency, visit: http://www.jma.go.jp.

By July 24, the JTWC expects Halola to pass the islands of Maimi Diato Jima and Anami Oshima on its way to landfall in southern Japan