Typhoon Mawar is one of the strongest May storms on record
Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Typhoon Mawar, also known as “Betty,” which is the first typhoon of the season in the northwest Pacific. The intense storm struck Guam and the Philippines before heading toward Taiwan and southern Japan.
“With sustained winds that reached 295 kilometers (185 miles) per hour on May 25, the super typhoon grew to be one of the strongest May storms on record,” says NASA.
“The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image of Mawar at 05:20 Universal Time on May 30, 2023. Though the storm appeared to be bearing down on Taiwan, it was in the process of turning north and away from the island.”
“After rapidly intensifying between May 24 and 25, Mawar then weakened significantly as it encountered cooler water temperatures and less favorable wind shear conditions as it neared Taiwan.”
NASA reports that although Mawar did not strike the Philippines or Taiwan directly, the outer bands of the storm brought heavy rains to northern Luzon and rough seas to the eastern coast of Taiwan.
Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory
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