Japan braced for Super Typhoon Vongfong as pictures taken from space show strength of hurricane
'I've seen many from here, but none like this' astronaut tweets
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Japan is braced for the strongest storm of the year, the Super Typhoon Vongfong, which threatens to rake a wide swathe of the nation battering winds and torrential rain this weekend, as it makes its way towards the Okinawa island chain.
On Thursday the NOAA satellite information service released incredible images of the storm, including in infrared, indicating that the hurricane’s eye is approximately 50 miles wide.
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently serving as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station, tweeted a picture of Vongfong, and said: “I’ve seen many from here, but none like this.”
The super typhoon, which is expected to weaken over the coming days, was classified as category five when TRMM satellite flew over it on Wednesday, with sustained winds of over 167 miles per hour, according to Nasa.
Vongfong is the most powerful typhoon since super typhoon Haiyan, which killed 6,000 people after hitting the Philippines in November 2013 according to Nasa.
It is currently following the path of typhoon Phanfone, which reportedly killed nine people earlier this week.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments