image: RapidScat showed that Kilo's tropical storm-force winds extended between 170 to 240 nautical miles from the center and strongest sustained winds surrounded the eye at more than 30 meters per second (108 kph/67 mph). view more
Credit: Credits: NASA JPL, Doug Tyler
Typhoon Kilo is maintaining strength as it continues to move through the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. NASA's RapidScat instrument measured the typhoon-force winds and the extent of tropical-storm force winds in the storm.
At 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) on September 9, Typhoon Kilo's maximum sustained winds were near 65 knots (75 mph/120.4 kph) making it a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
It was centered near 30.8 North latitude and 152.5 East longitude, about 674 nautical miles east southeast of Narita Airport, Japan. Kilo was moving to the northwest at 14 knots (16.1 mph/25.9 kph).
RapidScat showed that tropical storm-force winds extended between 170 to 240 nautical miles (196.5 to 276.4 miles/314.8 to 444.8 km) from the center of circulation. RapidScat data showed that the strongest sustained winds surrounded the eye and were stronger than 30 meters per second (108 kph/67 mph). Kilo's eye is about 9 nautical miles wide.
Infrared satellite imagery shows bands of thunderstorms continued to wrap in the slightly cloud-filled eye with some slight subsidence or sinking air on the western side of the system. Where the air sinks, clouds cannot form.
Kilo was moving northwest, along the southwestern edge of a western extension of a deep layered sub-tropical ridge (elongated area) of high pressure.
Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect it to maintain current strength over the next day or so. Kilo is curving north and is forecast to transition to an extra-tropical storm as it moves into the Sea of Okhotsk.
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