image: NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided forecasters with a visible image of Tropical Depression 06W moving through the Northwestern Pacific Ocean on Aug. 12. view more
Credit: Credit: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS)
Tropical Depression 06W has been around for days, and continues to hold together as it moves in a westerly direction toward Taiwan in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible image of the storm.
On Aug. 12, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP revealed a partially exposed low-level circulation with building thunderstorms over the western quadrant of Tropical Depression 06W. Satellite imagery also showed a weakly defined, broad center. The image was created by NASA Worldview website at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) on Aug. 12, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) noted Tropical Depression 06W (TD06W) was centered near latitude 5.0 degrees north and longitude 133.4 degrees east, approximately 349 nautical miles east-southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Island, Japan. 06W was moving to the west-southwest. Maximum sustained winds remained near 25 knots (29 mph/46 kph).
TD06W is expected to maintain intensity for another day and a half, when it will then weaken.
NASA Researches Tropical Cyclones
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By Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center