Typhoon Soudelor moving towards Taiwan

3 August 2015 00:00 UTC–4 August 23:00 UTC, 6 August 00:35 UTC

Region

Taiwan, China

Satellites

Metop-B, Himawari-8

Instruments

ASCAT, AVHRR, AHI

Channels/Products

ASCAT winds, 10.9 IR Enhanced, VIS0.64 (500m resolution)

Typhoon Soudelor as it crossed over the West Pacific in August 2015.

Last Updated

23 February 2022

Published on

03 August 2015

By Vesa Nietosvaara (EUMETSAT) and Hans-Peter Roesli (Switzerland)

Typhoon Soudelor crossed over the West Pacific and reached its peak intensity on Monday 3 August, becoming the strongest storm of 2015, at that point. While approaching Taiwan, Soudelor still remained a powerful typhoon, with maximum sustained winds near the centre up to 162km/h (Credit: JTWC ).

The Himawari-8 rapid-scanning animation shows the progression of the typhoon between 3–4 August.

Figure 1: Himawari-8 rapid scan, 3 August 00:00 UTC–4 August 23:00 UTC.

compare1 — Figure 2: Himawari-8 rapid scanning with/without Metop ASCAT winds, 6 August 00:35 UTC

compare2 — Figure 2: Himawari-8 rapid scanning with/without Metop ASCAT winds, 6 August 00:35 UTC

Figure 3: Metop-B, 10.9 IR Enhanced image, 6 August 00:35 UTC. Full resolution

Download animation, Himawari-8 rapid scanning, 03 August 00:00 UTC–04 August 23:00 UTC
Download full resolution image, Himawari-8 rapid scanning overlaid with Metop ASCAT Winds, 03 August 00:35 UTC
Download full resolution image, Himawari-8 rapid scanning, 03 August 00:35 UTC

The Metop-B 10.9 IR enhanced image (Figure 1) shows Soudelor over the Western Pacific with the eye of the storm clearly visible.

The coldest tops are shown in dark red, indicating storm top temperatures lower than -60 °C.

Impacts

Typhoon Soudelor passed directly over Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, on 2 August, as a Category 2 equivalent storm, with gusts of 146 km/h (91 mph), causing widespread damage on the island.

In Taiwan at least seven people reportedly died, when the typhoon hit on 6 August, with sustained winds of 161 km/h (100 mph). At least four million households lost electricity and all 279 domestic flights were canceled on 8 August.

At least 14 people were killed people in eastern China after parts of the country were hit by the heaviest rains in a century.

Other typhoon cases

Super Tropical Cyclone Amphan in Bay of Bengal

Low pressure area that formed on 13 May 2020 intensified into a Super Tropical Cyclone Amphan on 18 May.

Devastating Typhoon Hagibis

Typhoon Hagibis was the worst storm to hit Japan for half a century, when it made landfall in mid-October 2019.

Super Typhoon Lekima

Super Typhoon Lekima scraped past Krosa, a concurrent typhoon, in the Western Pacific Ocean in August 2019.

Typhoon Krosa over Japan

Typhoon Krosa weakened before crossing southern parts of Japan in August 2019.

Typhoons Mindulle and Lionrock in the West Pacific

Typhoons Mindulle and Lionrock in west Pacific

Within just 10 days, two tropical storms slammed into Japan, first Mindulle, which hit the larger Tokyo area, and then Lionrock that hit Japan's already tsunami-hit north-east coast.