Western Pacific typhoon wind and rain map

The globe looks at the western Pacific, with animated wind over the rain layer. A typhoon appears as a closed spiral of strong wind wrapped in curved bands of heavy rain, usually heading west or north-west.

© OpenStreetMap contributors · NASA · GEBCO · Natural Earth · GeoNames · NOAA GFS · GEFS-Aerosols

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Weather layers come from the NOAA GFS model at 0.25° resolution; air quality comes from NOAA GEFS-Aerosols. Four times a day, each new model run brings a 48-hour forecast in 3-hour steps, and the globe blends smoothly between steps. The banner shows the model run; the timeline shows the time you are looking at.

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NOAA GFS and GEFS-Aerosols (public domain) · NASA Blue Marble · GEBCO bathymetry and relief · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).

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Western Pacific typhoon wind and rain map

The western Pacific is the most active region in the world for tropical cyclones, called typhoons there. They can form in any month, though most appear between July and November, over water warmer than about 26 degrees.

To spot one, look for curved bands of heavy rain spiralling into a compact centre. Then look at the wind: the streamlines should turn anticlockwise around that centre, with the fastest flow packed on one side, often the side facing the direction of travel. Switch to the Pressure layer to see the deep low at its core, well under 1000 hPa.

Typhoons usually move west or north-west along the southern edge of a subtropical high, then recurve towards Japan, Korea or China as they meet the westerlies. Press play on the timeline to see how the pattern shifts in the next 48 hours.

The model grid is 0.25 degrees, so this map gives the broad picture, not the exact intensity at the centre. Do not use it for safety decisions; follow the bulletins of national meteorological agencies for warnings, forecasts and the official names of storms.
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