NASA finds Tropical Storm Matmo consolidating off Vietnam coast

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Tropical Storm Matmo as it developed in the South China Sea, off the coast of Vietnam. The storm is expected to make a landfall in central southeastern Vietnam later on Oct. 30.

Visible imagery from NASA satellites help forecasters understand if a storm is organizing or weakening. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP provided a visible image of Matmo on Oct. 30 and found the storm taking on a much more rounded shape than the previous day.

The shape of the storm is a clue to forecasters that a storm is either strengthening or weakening. If a storm takes on a more rounded shape it is getting more organized and strengthening. Conversely, if it becomes less rounded or elongated, it is a sign the storm is weakening.

At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on Oct. 30, the center of Matmo was near latitude 13.2 degrees north and longitude 111.0 degrees east. The post-tropical cyclone was moving toward the west-northwest. Maximum sustained winds associated with this system are near 46 mph (40 knots/74 kph) with higher gusts.

Vietnam's National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) has posted a tropical storm warning for southeast central Vietnam. Matmo is expected to make landfall near Nha Trang. Nha Trang lies on the coast and is the capital of the Khanh Hoa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects that Matmo will move west-northwest to make landfall in Vietnam later in the day.

Hurricanes are the most powerful weather event on Earth. NASA's expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.