Tropical Storm Kompasu formed over the western Pacific Ocean on August 30, 2010, and strengthened to a Category 3 typhoon the next day, according to tracking information from Unisys. By September 2, Kompasu had weakened back to a tropical storm and made landfall along the coasts of North Korea and the Russian Federation. On September 2, 2010, the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Kompasu was located roughly 400 nautical miles (750 kilometers) west of Misawa, Japan. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 knots (90 kilometers per hour) and gusts up to 65 knots (120 kilometers per hour).
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of Tropical Storm Kompasu on September 2, 2010. The storm has lost the spiral shape and distinct eye characteristic of typhoons. Nevertheless, Kompasu holds together as a solid cloud mass spanning hundreds of kilometers.
Kompasu lost strength after making landfall. On September 2, the JTWC forecast that the storm would become extratropical within a matter of hours.
- Joint Typhoon Warning Center. (2010, September 2). Tropical Storm 08W (Kompasu) Warning. Accessed September 2, 2010.
- Unisys. (2010, September 2). Typhoon Kompasu. Accessed September 2, 2010.
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This image originally appeared on the Earth Observatory. Click here to view the full, original record.