Publication Date July 5, 2016 | Weather Underground

Super Typhoon Nepartak Takes Aim at Taiwan

Taiwan
Ocean heat content for Super Typhoon Nepartak, July 5, 2016. Image: University of Wisconsin/CIMSS
Ocean heat content for Super Typhoon Nepartak, July 5, 2016. Image: University of Wisconsin/CIMSS

Nepartak went from a tropical storm with 70 mph winds on Monday afternoon to a Category 4 super typhoon with 150 mph winds in just 24 hours, as estimated by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). The typhoon took advantage of light wind shear of 5 - 10 knots and extremely warm ocean waters of 31°C (88°F) to fuel its rapid intensification. Unusually warm waters extended to great depth below the storm, creating some of the highest oceanic heat content readings we see for a tropical cyclone--near 150 kJ/cm2 (as shown in the above image)