Packing sustained winds of 55 knots and gusts of more than 70 knots, Tropical Storm Mekkhala hit China on Sept. 25, 2002. The storm is shown here approaching the Chinese island of Hainan in the Gulf of Tonkin. Mekkhala passed over western Hainan and eventually made landfall on mainland China before veering back out toward the Pacific Ocean.
This true-color image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, flying aboard NASA’s Terra satellite, on Sept. 25, 2002. The high-resolution image above is 500 meters per pixel; click to access a copy of this image at the sensor’s fullest resolution.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
