Typhoon Mawar slams the U.S. territory of Guam

Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Typhoon Mawar as it approached Guam on May 24, 2023. According to NASA, the violent storm was one of the strongest in decades to lash the U.S. territory.

Mawar carried sustained winds of about 140 miles per hour, which is the equivalent of a Category 4 storm. 

“The image shows the typhoon’s cloud bands completely covering the islands, which were already being lashed with powerful winds and heavy rain,” says NASA.

“The typhoon maintained its category 4 strength as the storm’s center traversed the Rota Channel, between the islands of Guam and Rota, at about 9 p.m. local time on May 24.”

“The eye’s southern wall passed over much of Guam, according to the U.S. National Weather Service, and delivered the most extreme winds to the northern-third of the island.”

Brandon Aydlett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the central and northern parts of the island received more than two feet of rain as the eyewall passed, and most of Guam received about a foot of rain during the storm.

The image was captured by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA-20 satellite.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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