 |  | | | | Hurricane Season 2006: Rumbia (Western Pacific)
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10.10.06
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Tropical Storm Rumbia Forms in the Northwestern Pacific
As of 10 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC) Thurs., Oct. 5, newly-formed Tropical Storm Rumbia
was located near 23.6 degrees north latitude, 151. 6 degrees east longitude, or
about 565 miles east of Iwo Jima, and was moving northward at 5 mph (4 knots).
The storm's maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph (35 knots) with gusts to
52 mph (45 knots). Estimated ocean wave heights of up to 14 feet were recorded
near the center of the storm.
Rumbia is expected to maintain its current intensity or strengthen slightly over
the 36 hours, before weakening as it encounters strong vertical wind shear.
Forecasters expect the storm to remain on a northward path for the next day or
so, before turning more east-northeastward. This track should keep Rumbia over
the open waters of the northwest Pacific.
A Satellite View of Rumbia
This image from NASA's QuikSCAT satellite was captured on Wed., Oct. 4. It
depicts wind speed in color and wind direction with small barbs. White barbs
point to areas of heavy rain. The highest wind speeds, shown in purple,
surround the center of the storm.
The QuikSCAT scatterometer sends pulses of microwave energy through the
atmosphere to the ocean surface, and measures the energy that bounces back from
the wind-roughened surface. The energy of the microwave pulses changes depending
on wind speed and direction, giving scientists a way to monitor wind around the
world. Credits: Caption - Mike Bettwy, Goddard Space Flight Center/RSIS; Image: Peter Falcon, NASA/JPL
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