NASA tracks Tropical Storm Sanba as it triggers Philippines warnings

Tropical Storm Sanba, formerly known as 02W has triggered many warnings in the Philippines as it approaches from the east. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided forecasters with a visible image of the storm.

On Feb. 12 at 12:12 a.m. EST (0512 UTC), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible image of Sanba. A fragmented band of thunderstorms in the western quadrant of the tropical storm was over the central and southern Philippines. The strongest convection and thunderstorms appeared north and east of the low-level center of circulation over the Philippine Sea. The image was created at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Many warnings are in effect in the Philippines: tropical cyclone warning signal #2 is in force for the Mindanao provinces of Dinagat Island, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, and northern section of Bukidnon.

Signal #1 is in effect for the Mindanao provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, rest of Bukidnon, North Cotabato, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, and Davao Oriental, also for the Visayas provinces of Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, southern portion of Samar, and southern portion of Eastern Samar, and for the Luzon province of Cuyo Island.

At 10 a.m. EST (1500 UTC) on Monday, Feb. 12 the center of Tropical Storm Sanba was 415 miles east of Zamboanga, Philippines near 7.4 degrees north latitude and 129.1 degrees east longitude. Sanba was moving toward the west-northwest near 18.4 mph (16 knots/29.6 kph). Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph (35 knots/62 kph).

Sanba is forecast to continue moving west across Mindanao before re-emerging into the South China Sea.