Super typhoon Meranti continued toward Taiwan and mainland China on September 14, 2016. Meranti is one of the three strongest typhoons to be recorded in the region, according to news sources. Warm sea surface temperatures have contributed to the storm’s strength, meteorologists said.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this natural-color image as the storm passed Taiwan on September 14, 2016. The storm has already caused a half million homes in Taiwan to lose power, the South China Morning Post reported. Most domestic flights were grounded.
Meranti follows several other category 5 storms in 2016: Winston, Fantala, and Nepartak.
Meteorologists expect Meranti to wind down within 72 hours of landfall in China. Even as Meranti passes Taiwan, the island braces for Malakas, yet another (albeit weaker) storm brewing in western Pacific waters.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Pola Lem.
