NW PACIFIC OCEAN - Mekkhala Now a Depression Over Northern Luzon, Philippines
Tropical Depression Mekkhala is rapidly losing strength 72 nautical miles east of Baguio, Philippines. Baguio City, is a highly urbanized city located in the province of Benguet in northern Luzon island of the Philippines. The depression's center was near 16.4 north and 121.6 east at 2100 UTC (4 p.m. EST) today, January 18. It was moving to the north at 11 knots and had maximum sustained winds near 25 knots.
Infrared satellite imagery shows that the center of the storm made a second landfall in Luzon near Casiguran in the Aurora Province. The satellite data also shows that the strongest convection and thunderstorms have disappeared because of strong vertical wind shear and because of friction created by moving over rugged land (of the Sierra Madre Mountains).
This infrared image from the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite shows the highest, coldest cloud top temperatures (of the strongest, highest thunderstorms) in yellow. The image was taken Jan. 18 at 16:55 UTC (11:55 a.m. EST).
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects Mekkhala to dissiptate early on January 19.
Image Credit: NASA/NRL
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