TMI/PR Precipitation (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Precipitation Radar Vertical slice Viewed From the East (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Lupit began as a tropical depression on 19 November 2003 about 375 miles west of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The depression moved due west and became a tropical storm a day later on the 20th. Lupit continued moving towards the west skirting the northern edge of the Caroline Islands becoming a minimal Category 1 typhoon at 06:00 UTC on the 22nd of November about 90 miles north of Truk Island. As it passed about 350 miles due south of Guam on the 23rd, Lupit had become a Category 2 storm with winds estimated at 110 mph by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Lupit then turned towards the northwest and headed for the Philippine Sea continuing to intensify. Lupit became a Super Typhoon on the 26th of November with winds estimated at more than 165 mph.

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured these remarkable images of Super Typhoon Lupit as it was entering the Philippine Sea about 175 miles NNW of the Yap Islands. The images were taken at 17:42 UTC on 25 November 2003. Lupit was at the time classified as a powerful Category 4 typhoon by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center with sustained winds estimated at around 135 mph. The first image shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from above by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first such radar to be flown in space, while rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). These data are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). TRMM reveals an intense band of heavy, 2-inch-per-hour rain rates (dark red semicircle) on the western edge of the closed center. Typhoons and hurricanes act as large heat engines. The fuel for these engines comes from the transformation of water vapor in the atmosphere. As water vapor condenses into the cloud droplets that form the precipitation, heat is released. This heat, known as latent heat, is what drives the circulation of the storm. In general, the more heat that is being released, the more intense the storm will be. This heating is most effective in driving the storm if it is occurs near the center of the storm as is the case shown here with Lupit.

The next image shows a vertical cross section through the eyewall of Lupit from the TRMM PR. It shows that the intense rainfall along the western eyewall is associated with deep convection with towers that extend as high as 16 km. These type of deep towers occur in conjunction with convective bursts which can often be associated with further strengthening. Just over 12 hours after these images were taken Lupit would become a Super Typhoon.

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Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).