Tropical Depression 15W is moving through the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and infrared satellite data from NASA took a closer look at the thunderstorms that make up the tropical cyclone. The depression appears to be consolidating and getting better organized.
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Depression 15W on September 11 at 03:53 UTC (Sept. 10 at 11:53 p.m. EDT) and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard captured infrared data on the storm. The infrared data showed very cold temperatures in some of the cloud tops of thunderstorms that make up the tropical cyclone. The infrared data also showed a slowly-consolidating center of circulation.
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center that forecasts tropical cyclones in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean also looked at microwave data from the European EUMETSAT METOP satellite. That microwave data showed that there were fragmented bands of thunderstorms in the northern and southern quadrants of the storm, wrapping into the center.
At 0900 UTC (5 a.m. EDT) on September 11, 2014, Tropical Depression 15W (TD15W) had maximum sustained winds near 30 knots (34.5 mph/55.5 kph). It was located near 13.1 north latitude and 137.8 east longitude, about 193 nautical miles (222 miles/357 km) north of Yap./ TD15W has tracked northwestward at 20 knots (23 mph/37 kph) and is expected to continue in that general direction over the next couple of days.
TD15W is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm and later to typhoon strength as it approaches Luzon, the northern Philippines, on October 14. Current forecasts from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center take the storm over the far northern tip of Luzon and into the South China Sea by September 15 as a typhoon.
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